Suburban Vampire

THE DEAD HOUR Season 2 Launches

2012-01-29T19:42:00.000-08:00

The indie horror anthology series The Dead Hour has begun to roll out its brand-new season online at www.thedeadhour.com.

The series centers around a mysterious and sexy radio DJ who brings her audience dark and twisted stories each episode. All webisodes from Seasons 1 & 2 can be seen for free at www.thedeadhour.com. More news, updates, and behind-the-scenes features can be found at www.facebook.com/magnumpictures.

Which Tim Burton Vampire Movie Are You Most Excited about Seeing?

2012-01-24T13:50:00.000-08:00

Two Tim Burton vampire films will be hitting theaters within the next five months. The typically dark and whimsical filmmaker is directing Dark Shadows, coming May 11, and producing the film adaptation of Seth Grahame-Smith's Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, out June 22.

Which of these two movies are you anticipating most?

I've created a poll in the left sidebar for you to weigh in on the Collins vs. Lincoln debate, and you can certainly leave a comment at the end of this post (including "neither movie," if you so choose.)

Here are some of the most recent images from both films in case you've missed them.

Johnny Depp and Michelle Pfeiffer, Dark Shadows

Johnny Depp, Dark Shadows

Benjamin Walker, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter

Neither film has a trailer available as of this writing.

So. . . What Happened to Music Mondays?

2012-01-23T08:00:00.000-08:00

January 31, 2012, will mark the fifth anniversary of Suburban Vampire. Five years of blogging about vampires!!!

During my second year of running the blog, I started a feature called Music Mondays, and up until this past month, I remained fairly diligent about featuring a different vampire-related song every single week.

Well . . . times have changed, my beloved vampire friends. I finally sold one of my novels (the whole point of starting this blog to begin with), and I'm now balancing my time between writing a new book, preparing for my upcoming revisions, and blogging here, at my writing website, at The Lucky 13s, and at a potential new site. Oh, and I'm also raising two kids.

To help juggle everything, I need to cut Music Mondays from my schedule. I'm keeping my entire archive of Music Monday posts at a page called Vampire Music Galore, and I'd still be happy to feature newer musicians who've released a vampire/Gothic/Halloween-ish song and/or album.

I've also streamlined my interview procedures so I can continue hosting guests without spending such a large portion of my work week formatting and editing posts. My submissions policy is listed on my contact page.

In short, I'm not giving up the blog, and I'm going to do my best to keep it entertaining while still devoting the bulk of my time to my fiction-writing career.

If you have any comments about what you've enjoyed most about Suburban Vampire, let me know so I can make sure I don't cut the primary reasons people visit.

UNDERWORLD: AWAKENING Giveaway

2012-01-20T07:00:00.000-08:00

Happy release day to Underworld: Awakening!

To celebrate the opening of the film, Sony Pictures and Vampire Vineyards are offering the following giveaway:

This January vengeance returns... Kate Beckinsale is back as the vampire warrioress Selene in Underworld Awakening 3D. Underworld Awakening brings a stunning new dimension to the epic battle between Vampires and Lycans, as the first film in the franchise to shoot in 3D. To celebrate the film's release, Sony Pictures and Vampire Vineyards are giving away the Underworld Trilogy: The Essential Collection (DVD set) and a Vampire Prize Pack to one lucky winner. Enter by 2/1/12 to win and be sure to check out Underworld Awakening 3D when it opens in theaters everywhere on January 20th. If you're in Los Angeles, venture into the Vampire Lounge and Tasting Room to win tickets to see the show and more prizes!

ENTER HERE

Chilling YA Novels Coming Our Way... and a New Site That Celebrates Them

2012-01-17T07:55:00.000-08:00

Thanks to A.G. Howard—a fellow Amulet Books author, whose dark Alice in Wonderland spinoff, Splintered, arrives this fall—I learned about a brand-new website that celebrates eerie young adult and middle-grade fiction: ADR3NALIN3.

From the blog:

ADR3NALIN3 is the brainchild of a group of authors who write the dark side of middle grade and teen fiction. We are far from cozy, and we don't do warm and fuzzy. When you send us emails during the early morning hours to tell us you've lost another night of sleep reading our books, we secretly do a strange “happy” dance that is borderline Voo Doo Hoo Doo.

We want to make your skin crawl and your heart beat faster as you venture deeper into the dark recesses of our imaginations. Reality can be overrated or just plain scary. We offer you a savory feast of chilling contemporary thrillers, eerie mysteries, fantasies from your worst nightmares, and our bent and twisted take on the paranormal.

—adr3nalin3.blogspot.com

The website got me thinking about all the dark and delicious young adult novels I'm looking forward to reading in the coming years. One of the many thrilling aspects about having my own Gothic YA novel in the works for a 2013 release is that I get to receive early info about similar books...plus I'm getting to know the amazing and talented authors behind them.

Here are some upcoming YA Gothics I can't wait to devour while huddled under my covers...

DARK COMPANION by Marta Acosta
Tor
July 2012
“Dark secrets, hidden mysteries, disquieting realities, passion and romance…without a doubt this is my favourite YA book of the year. Dark Companion is recommended reading for teen gothic/vampire fiction fans as well as for Jane Eyre fans of any age. Bloody brilliant!”
—Amanda Wright, Love Vampires

SPLINTERED by A.G. Howard
Amulet Books
Fall 2012
For sixteen years, Alyssa Gardner has lived with the stigma of being descended from Alice Liddell—the real-life inspiration for Lewis Carroll's famed novel, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. But cruel jokes about dormice and tea parties can’t compare to the fact that Alyssa hears the whispers of bugs and flowers ... the same quirk which sent her mother to a mental institution years before.

THE MADMAN'S DAUGHTER by Megan Shepherd
Balzer & Bray/HarperCollins
Winter 2013
A gothic thriller trilogy loosely inspired by H.G. Wells’ classic The Island of Dr. Moreau, in which Dr. Moreau’s sixteen-year-old daughter travels to her estranged father’s island and finds murder, madness, and a love triangle with an enigmatic castaway and her father’s handsome young assistant.

HOUDINI'S DAUGHTER by Teri Brown
Balzer & Bray/HarperCollins
Fall 2013
Anna Van Housen is thirteen the first time she breaks her mother out of jail. By sixteen she’s street smart and savvy, assisting her mother, the renowned medium Marguerite Van Housen, in her stage show and séances, and easily navigating the underground world of magicians, mediums and mentalists in 1920’s New York City. Handcuffs and sleight of hand illusions have never been much of a challenge for Anna. The real trick is keeping her true gifts secret from her opportunistic mother, who will stop at nothing to gain her ambition of becoming the most famous medium who ever lived.

MISTWALKER by Saundra Mitchell
Harcourt Children’s Books
Fall 2013
When Willa’s brother dies on the family fishing boat, her father forbids her from stepping foot on the deck. But her family needs her, and she’ll do anything to help out– even going to see the Grey Man, the legendary spirit who haunts the lighthouse, controlling the fog–and with it, the fate of any boat within 100 miles. But what Willa finds isn’t a spirit at all, but a boy trapped inside until he takes 1,000 souls.

ANNABEL by Mary Lindsey
Philomel
2013
A dark retelling of Poe’s final poem, Annabel Lee, pitting a pair of star-crossed lovers in a doomed struggle with forces of ancient malice and evil.

13-Word Paranormal Synopses for Friday the 13th

2012-01-13T08:01:00.000-08:00

Happy Friday the 13th! To celebrate this lucky day, I invited authors and other entertainers to send me 13-word synopses of their paranormal projects.

I had one major requirement: the blurbs needed to be 13 words EXACTLY to be included here. There's some debate about calling hyphenated words one word versus two, especially when both words can stand on their own, but I allowed them to be considered one word for this round.

Hunted by the Others by Jess Haines (Book)
A human private investigator is blackmailed into retrieving an artifact from a vampire.

Fangs for Nothing by Adrianne Ambrose (Book)
Herbert Lehmur always wanted to meet a vampire, until he actually met one.

Confessions of an Average Half-Vampire by Lisa Shafer (Book)
A teenage half-vampire seeks his own kind and eventually ends up in Scotland.

Vampire's Trill by Lorelei Bell (Book)
Clairvoyant Sabrina manages several harrowing escapes, parries with demons, vampires, and humans alike.

All Hallows Blood by Raven Corinn Carluk (Book)
A young psychic warrior helps an elder vampire save Portland from vampire war.

Trisanguinus Carnelevarii (Trisangs) (Vampire Gothic/Horror Entertainers)
Vampire coterie brings their unique entertainment style to Northeastern US events and conventions.

Love Potions by Michelle McCleod (Novella)
Even bad love potions are an improvement when you're all thumbs at romance.

In the Shadow of Blackbirds by Cat Winters (Book)
Spirit communication becomes a dark and dangerous obsession in a troubled wartime world.
_____________________________________________________

For 13-word synopses of upcoming YA fiction, head to:

The Lucky 13s

An Indie Vampire Film Needs Your Help

2012-01-11T13:12:00.000-08:00

The makers of indie vampire movie Solid Venom are working on raising funds to complete the film. The money raised will go to insurance, make-up/prosthetics, catering, set design, and other production costs.

Here's the synopsis:

Solid Venom is a thrilling new vampire saga that brings the father of all vampires back to the screen—Dracula.

The story is set in the present day and follows a young detective as he tries to solve an ongoing murder case with the help of his partner, Sergeant Lowe. But the case isn't all that it seems...

The teaser trailer:

To help, head to www.indiegogo.com/solid-venom.

Call for Submissions: Your Paranormal Project's 13-Word Synopsis

2012-01-05T13:36:00.000-08:00

I'm going to celebrate this upcoming Friday the 13th with a slew of synopses. If you're in the midst of publicizing a paranormal book, movie, online series, song, photograph, or whatever strikes your creative fancy, fill out the following form, and I'll feature your 13-word blurb on January 13, 2012.

I was inspired by our November Thirteenth Day post over at thelucky13s.blogspot.com. My own 13-word synopsis I used that day appears below this form as a sample.

My sample 13-word synopsis:

Cat Winters
In the Shadow of Blackbirds (Novel)
In 1918, a girl deals with war, a deadly flu, and a ghost.

Please send your synopsis by Thursday, January 12, to be included!

2012 Vampire Movies

2012-01-03T11:08:00.000-08:00

I just completed my annual overhaul of my Upcoming Vampire Movies & Series Page. Compared to 2011, this year will see the release of far more big-budget vampire films, including the final installment of The Twilight Saga, two Tim Burton projects (Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter and Dark Shadows), and an adaptation of another young adult bestseller (The Mortal Instruments).

Here are the movies currently slated for a 2012 release:

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter
The Blood Let
Blood Reign
The Bloody Indulgent
The Brides of Sodom
Byzantium
Dance with a Vampyre
Dark Shadows
Destroy
Dracula 2012
Dracula 3D
Dracula The Un-Dead
Dr. Limptooth
Harvest Nation
High Midnight
Hotel Transylvania
Innocence
The Mortal Instruments
Near Dark
Nightfall
Soulstice Luna's Dream
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2
Underworld: Awakening
Vampire Dog
Vamps
Vampyre Nation

For my full list of upcoming vampire movies, TV series, and online series, head to suburbanvampire.blogspot.com/p/upcoming-vampire-movies.html.

Poll Results: Favorite 2011 Vampire Movie, TV Series, & Online Series

2012-01-02T00:14:00.000-08:00

Voting has ended for the Favorite Vampire Movie, TV Series, and Online Series of 2011. Some of the races got pretty heated this year, especially the battle for the Favorite Online Series (see the passionate comments on the original post).

The poll was created entirely in the spirit of fun, and you, the general public, decided the outcomes.

Here are the winners:

FAVORITE VAMPIRE MOVIE OF 2011

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1

Stars: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, & Taylor Lautner
Director: Bill Condon
Synopsis: The Quileutes close in on expecting parents Edward and Bella, whose unborn child poses a threat to the Wolf Pack and the townspeople of Forks.
Surprise factor that this movie won: Exceptionally low; however, Fright Night did start off in the lead for a few days.
Official Website

Runner-Up: Fright Night

FAVORITE VAMPIRE TV SERIES OF 2011
True Blood

Stars: Anna Paquin, Stephen Moyer, & Alexander Skarsgard
Creator: Alan Ball
Synopsis: Sookie faces some new otherworldly threats in this season – as if vampires, werewolves, werepanthers, and shapeshifters weren’t enough!
Surprise factor that this series won: Low. The series also took the lead last year.
Official Website

Runner-Up: The Vampire Diaries

FAVORITE VAMPIRE ONLINE SERIES OF 2011
Blood and Bone China

Stars: Rachel Shenton, Anthony Miles, & John James Woodward
Creator: Chris Stone
Synopsis: It is 1897 and a city is in turmoil. In the smoky, dirty depths of middle England, the people are terrified. The once-bustling streets of Stoke are empty, the silence is only broken by the whispers of devils, demons, and vampires. Poor souls are being taken, vanishing without a trace
Surprise factor that this series won: Moderate. Blood and Bone China led the race for a large percentage of the voting period, but Vampire Mob was on the British drama's heels the entire time.
Official Website

Runner-Up: Vampire Mob

Congratulations to all the winners, and thanks to everyone who voted! For the full results, head to the original post.

Thanks to all the talented individuals who made 2011 a bloody-good year for vampire entertainment!

Voting for Best 2011 Vampire Movie & Series Ends Soon!

2011-12-29T16:31:00.000-08:00

If you haven't yet voted for your favorite 2011 vampire movie, TV series, and online series, you need to do so soon. Polls will close January 1, 2012 at 11:59 PM (PST).

VOTE HERE

Good luck to everyone in the running!

I'll Be Sinking My Teeth into the Holidays

2011-12-19T08:00:00.000-08:00

I'm taking a blogging break while my kids are home from school, but you can still vote on your favorite 2011 vampire movies, TV series, and web series through January 1, 2012. I'll be back to announce the winners January 2. Have a safe, happy, and enjoyable holiday season!

I AM TIM: Abraham Van Helsing's Great, Great... Great Grandson Gets a Series

2011-12-16T09:09:00.000-08:00

Red Shirt Films caught my Favorite 2011 Vampire Movies & Series polls and alerted me to the fact that they, too, produce a vampire series: the fake documentary I Am Tim.

Here's the premise:

Tim is a normal thirty-year-old. He has a normal job, a normal flat, a very normal girlfriend...but one day he finds out that he is a direct blood descendent of the most epic monster hunter Van Helsing.

Destiny says it is time for a Helsing to rise up and whup the asses of the creeps, freaks, and monsters that have hidden in the murkiest of murky bits for too long.

And here's the teaser...

To watch Tim deal with his monster-slaying life, head to www.hisnameistim.com, YouTube, or Vimeo.

Red Shirt Films is gearing up for series 3, to be shot in March 2012, and, rest assured, I Am Tim will appear in next year's Suburban Vampire polls.

Winner of Lorelei Bell's VAMPIRE'S TRILL

2011-12-13T08:23:00.000-08:00

The winner of a free ebook copy of Lorelei Bell's Vampire's Trill is...

Shelly

Congratulations!

Thanks so much to everyone who entered, and thanks to Lorelei for offering her giveaway!You can read my interview with the author here.

Be sure to head to Lorelei's website, loreleismuse-lorelei.blogspot.com, to learn more about her books. You can buy your copy of Vampire's Trill at Amazon or Smashwords.

Music Monday: H.P. Lovecraft Holiday Albums

2011-12-12T10:03:00.000-08:00

I stumbled upon two wonderfully dark and entertaining Christmas albums from the H.P. Lovecraft Historical Society: A Very Scary Solstice and An Even Scarier Solstice.

If you're unfamiliar with H.P. Lovecraft, hplovecraft.com probably sums him up best:

HOWARD PHILLIPS LOVECRAFT (20 August 1890–15 March 1937) is probably best known as a writer of weird fiction.

Sample songs from the Lovecraftian holiday compilations include "Do You Fear What I Fear?" "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Fish-Men," "All I Want for Solstice is My Sanity," and "We Three Friends of HPL Are." You can download free MP3s and sheet music, order the CDs, and ask the society questions (even about fish-men) at their Scary Solstice page.

Here's a taste of their music:

For more info, head to www.cthulhulives.org.

Five Random Scary Questions with Lorelei Bell... and a VAMPIRE'S TRILL Giveaway

2011-12-06T08:00:00.000-08:00

Joining me today for my last spotlight of the year is Lorelei Bell, author of Vampire's Trill, the second installment of the Sabrina Strong Series.
__________________________________

ABOUT VAMPIRE'S TRILL:

Lorelei Bell has created another unique and mesmerizing mystery masterwork that tops its prequel, Vampire Ascending, in drama, fast-paced action, love, passion, heartache, and devastation. New friends, new adventures, shocking revelations, and harrowing experiences make for riveting reading in this second installment of the Sabrina Strong Series.

__________________________________

In celebration of the release of Vampire's Trill, Lorelei is joining me today to answer Five Random Scary Questions. Be sure to check out her giveaway at the end of her Q&A.

Without further ado, here's Lorelei...

1. What movie, book, experience, etc., turned you into a vampire fan?

LORELEI: Probably Dark Shadows (original show), and the Dracula movie with Bela Lugosi, as well as those with Christopher Lee.

2. What's the scariest place you've ever visited?

LORELEI: Creepy abandoned houses do it for me. Although a spook house is not one of my favorite places either.

3. What's your favorite eerie song?

LORELEI: I have too many. Anything with an organ in it, or a trilling violin.

4. What animal terrifies you the most?

LORELEI: Probably the wolf, since it most resembles the dog. But I've had a situation with a rat once and that was not fun!

5. Which of your own undead characters should readers most fear if they encounter him or her in the dead of night?

LORELEI: Ah, that might be Lief Sufferden. Stay away from him!

(THE CONTEST IS CLOSED. RESULTS.)

Lorelei's Website: loreleismuse-lorelei.blogspot.com

Buy Vampire's Trill at...
Amazon
Smashwords

Music Monday: Nox Arcana's THE ROSE OF WINTER

2011-12-05T11:24:00.000-08:00

Continuing with my month-long tribute to Gothic holiday music, here's Nox Aracana's "The Rose of Winter," from their 2009 album, Winter's Eve.

Download "The Rose of Winter" at...
NoxAracana.com
Amazon
iTunes

Vote on Your Favorite 2011 Vampire Movies, TV Series, and Web Series

2011-12-01T11:26:00.000-08:00

December has arrived, which means it's time to once again look back on the past year and pick your favorite vampire movie, TV series, and web series.

Please keep in mind that these polls are being conducted completely in the spirit of fun. I realize most voters haven't had a chance to watch ALL the nominees, but consider this event an opportunity to learn about the diverse offerings from 2011, and to perhaps stumble upon a movie or series you didn't even know existed. Links for all titles are available at my Upcoming Vampire Movies & Series page.

The Rules:

You will be given the option to vote for only ONE title in each category. If you feel I've forgotten to include a 2011 title, please send me an email ASAP. If we catch the error by December 5, 2011, I'll add the title to the poll. Web series must have debuted new episodes in 2011 to qualify. Films needed to appear in film festivals or traditional theaters in 2011.

Polls will run through January 1, 2012. Be sure to return for the results January 2.

Music Monday: ETERNAL SNOW by Adrian von Ziegler

2011-11-28T11:36:00.000-08:00

From now until Christmas I'll be devoting Music Mondays to the Gothic side of the holiday season. For those of you who enjoy staying up late reading ghost tales on a cold, wintry night, these darker tunes are for you.

Today's featured song is "Eternal Snow" by Adrian von Ziegler, an independent musician who composes "various styles of mostly dark music such as orchestral Gothic/neoclassical, Celtic/pagan, symphonic metal, movie scores, etc." "Eternal Snow" is from the album Requiem.

Download "Eternal Snow" at...
Amazon
iTunes
Bandcamp.com

Sample More Adrian Von Ziegler Music at...
YouTube

Mrs. Claus & the Batty Christmas

2011-11-22T08:00:00.000-08:00

"Sweet" isn't a word I typically use to describe books that come through this site, but it's highly appropriate for Jeff Berg's children's tale, Mrs. Clause & the Batty Christmas.

The Synopsis:

Santa's elves decide to stay on vacation after Halloween, but Santa needs help on Christmas Eve. Mrs. Claus comes to the rescue by calling on vampire bats to help deliver presents and stuff stockings. Illustrated in colorful, graphic-novel style, this story was inspired by a question the author's young daughter asked him on Christmas morning, "Daddy, how do vampires get their presents if they're up all night?" As he pondered his answer, the idea for this story was born.

If you're shopping for a pint-sized vampire fan during the holidays, definitely consider Berg's delightful read.

Peppermint Books
Amazon

Music Monday: A Call for Vampire Holiday Music

2011-11-21T08:11:00.000-08:00

Well, I had a Music Monday post all ready to go for this morning, but it fell through at the last minute. I have an extremely short work week with the Thanksgiving holiday, so I'm going to have to wait for next week to prepare a new music post.

In the meantime, I'll be taking requests for gothic holiday music, which I typically share every December. If you have a song or album suggestion, please send it to suburbanvamp AT gmail.com. Holiday music I've shared in the past can be found at my Vampire Music Mondays Page.

Coming tomorrow: A Christmas book for little vampire fans.

Vampire Magnetic Poetry, DARK COMPANION, Lucky 13s, & Best of 2011 Nominees

2011-11-15T11:49:00.000-08:00

If your fridge could use a Gothic makeover, check out Magnetic Poetry's new Vampire Magnetic Poetry Kit. They sent me a sample box, and I'm sure I could spend more time than I ought to creating dark poetry in the remaining empty spaces of my fridge.

A sample phrase I've created:

I heart my undead parasite and his ancient demon teeth.

If you'd like to play, too, head to MagneticPoetry.com. The box is the perfect size for stocking stuffers.

In other vampy news, you can now pre-order Vampire Wire creator Marta Acosta's upcoming YA novel, Dark Companion, at Amazon.

Here's a summary of the book:

When small, plain Jane Williams, a high-achieving foster teen, is invited to attend elite Birch Grove Academy for Girls, she jumps at the chance to escape her violent neighborhood. She's even offered her own living quarters, the groundskeeper's cottage in the center of the birch grove.

The school with its talented teachers and bright students is a dream for a science and math geek like Jane. The elegant headmistress and her handsome sons are especially friendly. But the longer Jane stays at Birch Grove, the more questions she has about the disappearance of another scholarship girl and a missing faculty member.

I love the fact that Marta has created a "science and math geek" heroine!
Pre-order Dark Companion at Amazon.

Speaking of dark YA fiction, last week I announced that I sold my ghostly YA novel, In the Shadow of Blackbirds, to Amulet Books. I've now joined The Lucky 13s, a group of children's and young adult fiction authors debuting in 2013. This past Sunday, in honor of the 13th day of the month, we all listed 13-word synopses of our 2013 releases. Check out the list if you'd like a sneak peek into your potential reading future.

Tomorrow I'll be sharing the music that inspired In the Shadow of Blackbirds in my first post over there.

Last of all, I'm going to work on running The Best Vampire Movies & Series of 2011 poll in the near future. If you'd like to nominate your favorite 2011 vampire movie, TV series, and/or web series, either leave a note in the comments section or send your nominees to suburbanvamp AT gmail.com.

Music Monday: One-Eyed Doll's YOU'RE A VAMPIRE

2011-11-14T10:05:00.000-08:00

Zahir at Night-Tinted Glasses suggested today's featured vampire song: "You're a Vampire" by One-Eyed Doll, an indie metal/rock duo from Austin, Texas.

I love the song because it's about a woman who's far more discerning about dating vampires than most females in modern entertainment. The video contains some goofy gore, but it's a blast to watch, and you'll be envying singer/guitarist Kimberly Freeman's high kicks in her black-and-white-striped tights. Enjoy!

www.oneeyeddoll.com

Download "You're a Vampire":
music.oneeyeddoll.com

Winner of Sophie Littlefield's UNFORSAKEN

2011-11-11T11:04:00.000-08:00

The winner of Sophie Littlefield's YA zombie novel, Unforsaken, is...

Kimberly Bea

Congratulations, Kimberly!

Thanks so much to everyone who entered, and thanks to Sophie Littlefield for visiting again and offering the fantastic giveaway.

To get your copy of Unforsaken, or any of Sophie's other novels (which include YA and adult zombie and dystopian fiction and the award-winning Bad Day series), head to SophieLittlefield.com or the Sophie Littlefield Amazon Page.

Last Chance to Enter to Win Sophie Littlefield's UNFORSAKEN

2011-11-10T13:31:00.000-08:00

I'm pulling a winning name for Sophie Littlefield's Unforsaken giveaway tomorrow morning (8:00 AM Pacific Time). Don't miss out!

ENTER HERE

My Gothic Young Adult Novel, IN THE SHADOW OF BLACKBIRDS, Found a Publisher

2011-11-08T10:49:00.000-08:00

Winifred, my mascot.

Those of you who've been following me for a while know I'm also a struggling novelist in addition to a dispenser of undead information and goodies. I'm thrilled to announce I've finally had a stroke of publishing luck: My dark and ghostly young adult novel, In the Shadow of Blackbirds, will be released Spring 2013 from Amulet Books!!!

Here's the official announcement from Publishers Marketplace:

Cat Winters's IN THE SHADOW OF BLACKBIRDS, the story of a teen girl mourning the loss of her first love in 1918 California, where a flu has turned deadlier than a world war, and spirit communication has become a dark and dangerous obsession, illustrated with early-twentieth-century photographs, to Maggie Lehrman at Amulet, by Barbara Poelle of Irene Goodman Agency (World English).

Foreign rights: Heather Shapiro at Baror International

I'll be chronicling my journey into print at www.catwinters.com, as well as at twitter.com/catwinters and facebook.com/catwintersbooks. I'll also be sending out updates (the book's Goodreads debut, cover art reveals, events, giveaways, etc.) through my mailing list.

I'm so proud of this book and can't wait to share it with everyone!

Music Monday: THE TWILIGHT SAGA: BREAKING DAWN - PART 1 Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

2011-11-07T08:00:00.000-08:00

You'll have to wait until November 18 to watch The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1 in theaters, but tomorrow you can have the soundtrack.

Here's the full list of songs and artists:

1. "Endtapes," The Joy Formidable
2. "Love Will Take You," Angus & Julia Stone
3. "It Will Rain," Bruno Mars
4. "Turning Page," Sleeping At Last
5. "From Now On," The Features
6. "A Thousand Years," Christina Perri
7. "Neighbors," Theophilus London
8. "I Didn't Mean It," The Belle Brigade
9. "Sister Rosetta," Noisettes (2011 Version)
10. "Northern Lights," Cider Sky
11. "Flightless Bird, American Mouth," Iron & Wine (Wedding Version)
12. "Requiem On Water," Imperial Mammoth
13. "Cold," Aqualung & Lucy Schwartz
14. "Llovera," Mia Maestro
15. "Love Death Birth," Carter Burwell

The video for Christina Perri's "A Thousand Years":

Aqualung & Lucy Schwartz's "Cold":

The Belle Brigade's "I Didn't Mean It," in case you need something livelier from the soundtrack:

Download the soundtrack:
Amazon.com

Five Random Scary Questions with Sophie Littlefield... and an UNFORSAKEN Giveaway

2011-11-04T08:00:00.000-07:00

Last fall, Sophie Littlefield, author of the Bad Day crime series, joined me to talk about her debut YA novel, Banished. A year has passed, and she's since released the critically acclaimed apocalyptic zombie novels Aftertime and Rebirth, one more Bad Day book, and, just this past month, the companion to Banished: Unforsaken.
____________________________

ABOUT UNFORSAKEN:

Hailey Tarbell is no typical girl. As one of the Banished who arrived from Ireland generations ago, Hailey has the power to heal—and, as she recently learned, to create zombies if she heals someone too late. But now, Hailey is finally getting a chance at a normal life.

_______________________________

In celebration of the release of Unforsaken, Sophie is joining me today to answer five random scary questions, plus she's offering a giveaway of the novel.

Without further ado, here's Sophie...

1. What's the most terrifying book you've ever read?

SOPHIE: One of Stephen King's short story collections—I'm sorry that I don't remember which—set the tone for an entire summer when I was twelve or thirteen. I practically read the stories with my eyes shut—but I couldn't stop. I was reminiscing with our agent the other day about "The Raft" (that's what she and I remember it being called, though we may be making that up). Got scared all over again just talking about it!

2. Which food scares you the most?

SOPHIE: I'm a picky eater, and though I love red meat, I like to pretend that it came from trees. Burger trees! Lovely ribeyes, growing on shrubbery! Little bacon vines twining around the mailbox! The minute food starts to look *anything* like an animal part, I'm done. (I make an exception for chicken wings with hot hot hot sauce.)

3. Blood: nauseating or fascinating?

SOPHIE: Oh, fascinating, for sure, though I am a terrible wimp around wounds. So naturally, I was given a hellion of a son to raise, a boy that burst his scabs the minute they were formed and bled all over everything. (He's nineteen now, and sure enough, he managed to bleed all over the house when he was home for twelve hours. Skateboard accident.) I manage to keep my sh*t together long enough to cleanse, bandage, and/or drive to emergency room—but once the immediate danger is over I fall entirely apart.

4. Which of your own undead characters should readers most fear if they encounter him or her in the dead of night?

SOPHIE: Well, let's see: Beaters (the zombie-like creatures from the Aftertime series) don't see well, and not at all in the dark, so they tend to sleep in their nests at night. But if they catch the scent of an uninfected, they'll stop at nothing, running blindly toward their victims, even if that means tripping, knocking into things, falling, crawling, dragging themselves along the ground. I would find that kind of determination pretty scary, myself.

5. How would you personally react to a zombie takeover of your neighborhood?

SOPHIE: I would hope that Steve Hockensmith was visiting. He wrote Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: Dreadfully Ever After, and he makes fictional zombies as amusing as mine are horrifying. I think we would have a great time playing cards and wishing we had some saganaki and gossiping until someone (else) had matters well in hand.

Thanks so much for celebrating the release of Unforsaken here at Suburban Vampire, Sophie! Best wishes to you and all your novels.

SOPHIE: Why thank you, Catherine! My pleasure as always!

(The contest is now closed. The winning name was announced here.)

SophieLittlefield.com
Buy Unforsaken at Amazon

The Newest UNDERWORLD AWAKENING Trailer

2011-11-03T10:04:00.000-07:00

When human forces discover the existence of the Vampire and Lycan clans, a war to eradicate both species commences. The vampire warrioress Selene leads the battle against humankind.

Here's the latest trailer, Underworld fans:

Official website: www.entertheunderworld.com

New Interview Policy for Suburban Vampire

2011-11-02T21:47:00.000-07:00

I revamped (yes, pun intended) my interview policy to hopefully accommodate more authors and my own busy schedule at the same time. If you're an author (or filmmaker, musician, etc.) in need of promotion, and you work in the realm of vampires or other areas of the paranormal, please check out my new options here.

A Halloween Interview with the Paranormal Investigation Society of Central Alabama

2011-10-31T08:00:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween! I'm thrilled to welcome the Paranormal Investigation Society of Central Alabama as my guests here today. They're real-life ghost hunters dedicated to exploring paranormal activity and helping the public with hauntings.
__________________________
SUBURBAN VAMPIRE: Welcome to Suburban Vampire! Thanks so much for joining me here on Halloween day. How long has PISCA been around, and how many members are involved?

PISCA: We started in 2000, and we currently have six investigators and three behind-the-scenes members. All of our members are a close-knit unit. We are somewhat of a family. We think you need that in a group. Trust is the number-one way to be successful in anything.

SV: What type of equipment do you use for your investigations? Which equipment tends to produce the most results?

PISCA: We use a variety of equipment, which includes the K2 meter, EMF meter, thermometer, IR cams with DVR, digital voice recorders, Hi8 Nightvision camcorders, compass, laser grid, and Taser (to electrify the air). The best equipment to us is the K2 and voice recorder. We can communicate directly with a spirit.

SV: Looking at your team members, would you say there's a typical type of person who joins a paranormal investigation group?

PISCA: You have to have people that are somewhat “open” and a “skeptic.” You want to have in the back of your mind that the place isn’t haunted. Because if you go into a place thinking it is, your mind will focus on every sound you hear as being paranormal.

SV: Are there specific types of locations that produce more paranormal activity than others?

PISCA:Yes, actually. Places that have water, quartz, magnetite, and limestone are conductors for electricity. The Stanley Hotel is a prime example of limestone being a factor for the haunting. The energy is trapped and, therefore, causing the haunting at The Stanley Hotel.

SV: You perform your investigations in the dark to utilize your infrared cameras and video equipment. Have you ever experienced phenomena so terrifying that you had to turn on the lights?

PISCA: Not yet. I have seen some things that would make most people turn on lights or run out, but we make sure the guys of PISCA are ready for anything and everything. We never let the client know that we have been afraid. If the client sees a paranormal investigator turn the lights on or run out it exacerbates their fears.

SV: Your team doesn't charge for investigations, and you state on your website, "All good and honest paranormal groups will not charge you to investigate your home." What else should people watch out for to avoid ghost-hunting scams?

PISCA: Yes, we believe that you come in this field because you or a loved one has experienced something that terrified them, and you want answers and to help those like yourself or loved one. You definitely have to watch for hoaxes or someone faking evidence.

SV: What's the best way for readers to contact you if they're in need of your services?

PISCA: We have a “HELP” form we ask all online clients to fill out. It helps us to better understand their situation. They can also contact us via Facebook. Or call our help number and leave a message. We will contact them within forty-eight hours of their request.

HELP Form: www.piscaonline.com/help
Facebook: www.facebook.com/piscaonline
Help Number: 256-404-2703

SV: Last, but not least, it's Halloween today. Do paranormal investigators typically work on this particular holiday, or do you take the night off?

PISCA: I'm sure some do, but we try to hang out and attend an annual Halloween costume party, then WATCH Ghost Hunters Live.

SV: Thanks so much for joining me today. Happy Halloween!

PISCA: Thanks for having us. Really enjoyed it. Happy Haunting!

NIGHT OF THE VAMPIRE

2011-10-29T20:23:00.000-07:00

If you're in the mood for some creepy, edge-of-your-seat scares, watch DeadFi Productions' short film, "Night of the Vampire," now playing on YouTube.

Interview with Kristen Lawrence, Creator of Halloween Carols

2011-10-24T08:00:00.000-07:00

Kristen Lawrence

Joining me today is singer/composer/musician Kristen Lawrence, creator of the Halloween Carols™. In case you haven't yet heard Kristen's beautiful and haunting musical tributes to our dark October holiday, I've included some of her videos below our chat. She's also sharing her favorite Halloween tunes from the past, so you'll want to read this post without the sound muted.
____________________________________________________________________

SUBURBAN VAMPIRE: Welcome to Suburban Vampire, Kristen! Our love of the Halloween season started in a similar fashion: an Orange County childhood that included frequent trips to Disneyland's Haunted Mansion and an enjoyment of the eerie traditional American tune "Ghost of John." Do you remember any other music that made Halloween come alive for you when you were a kid?

KRISTEN LAWRENCE: I loved “Night on Bald Mountain” by Modest Mussorgsky:

And “Danse Macabre” by Camille Saint-Saëns:

And “Hall of the Mountain King” by Edvard Grieg:

I remember dancing to this music in the front room of our house. The lights were out, and the room was lit only by our glowing Halloween decorations. Pure childhood bliss.

I also remember the tune for “Danse Macabre” made into a kiddie song, “H-A-double-L-O-W-double-E-N Spells Halloween”:

SV: You go into great detail about the genesis of the Halloween Carols™ at your site, so I won't make you repeat the entire story here. (Readers: head to the "About Kristen" page for a fascinating account of an evolution of an artist.)

In a nutshell, what have been your greatest inspirations for creating this music?

KL: I suppose it’s the way Halloween and the whole month of October make me feel. The angle of the sun really affects me. I enjoy every season in its time, appreciating what each one has to offer (well, I’m better at enjoying summer than I used to, but I still don’t enjoy sweating when I’m NOT exercising); variety is lovely. But when it’s time for autumn … ah, my brain and spirit go into euphoria.

So, I try to capture those feelings in my music. Or let them loose, actually. I’m inspired by the beauty other composers have created, all the meaning they infuse therein. I want to create beauty, too. I hope it’s meaningful to other ears and hearts.

On a technical note, I’m fascinated by counterpoint – how lines of music line up with one another. I’m fascinated by harmony – how a single melody can be harmonized in countless ways. More reasons why I tick, tick, tick away at composing for hours. I love my quality time with manuscript paper and a pencil.

SV: I own both A Broom with a View and Arachnitect, and my kids and I have made the music a part of our October traditions. I particularly love your dreamy, haunting "Dark Glass." Do you have a favorite song from your collections? Or is that like asking you to pick a favorite child?

KL: Thank you! I’m dancing inside about being part of your October traditions. That makes me so happy to hear.

You’re pretty close about picking a favorite child. They are each distinct personalities that I love and appreciate. I labored to give each one of them life.

But I really enjoy hearing about people’s favorites. Really do. “Dark Glass” came before I had the epiphany of Halloween Carols™ in title and round/four-part musical form (the title actually first came to me as “Halloween Hymns” because I like alliteration). I was just writing Halloween music at the time, exploring ideas in how to write about this holiday. I had started my studies of Halloween history and had begun to base each song on a little bit of history, but “Dark Glass,” in contrast, was purely an exploration of feelings and visions. While writing it, I’d often stare from my piano bench out the window at the moon for long, hypnotic stretches.

SV: Suburban Vampire is a home for vampire fans, so let's turn to the subject of our beloved, undead creatures of the night. You've given us songs such as "Vampire Empire," "Blood Waltz," and "Flappy Bat." Will you be releasing any future vampire-related tunes that I'll be able to share on one of my forthcoming Vampire Music Mondays?

KL: This next CD (coming out as soon as possible) doesn’t have vampire-specific tunes, but there will be more vampire-ish tunes in the future. Until then, I can almost guarantee that this next CD will satisfy. You and your readers probably really will plunge your fangs into it.

And among the Halloween Carols™ waiting their turn for me to orchestrate/arrange them for future recordings, there are some tasty creatures. I quite enjoy the subject of blood itself. I like writing music about it, or at least including it in my lyrics somewhere. It’s rather symbolic. And meaningful and beautiful. Red is so pretty.

SV: Who's your favorite vampire from fiction and/or film?

KL: I have two. Judd Hirsch from The Halloween That Almost Wasn’t and Richard Roxburgh from Van Helsing. The first vampire makes me laugh. The second vampire makes me purr.

I grew up with The Halloween That Almost Wasn’t. I loved Judd’s “teeny tiny bat, teeny tiny bat, teeny tiny bat …” at 8:28:

And I like how he hisses at 4:35. Hahaha.

As far as Count Vladislaus Dracula from Van Helsing, well, I wouldn’t want to share him with any other vampire wives. He’s so intelligent and powerful:

SV: What's your favorite scary movie?

KL: Many people would be surprised to learn that I don’t like the slasher/horror types of scary movies. I prefer, instead, the types like Van Helsing, which is a bit campy, but fantastical, and so enjoyable to me. I don’t like movies with gratuitous blood and guts or movies that give me a bad feeling; rather, I prefer more suspenseful movies that end up having a lot of meaning, like The Others and The Sixth Sense.

I also love movies with beautiful, alluring cinematography, like Bright Star (because historical Halloween is a lot about romance, you know – an element totally lost in modern celebrations). I love funny, quirky, delicious movies like Hocus Pocus. And I love movies like The Ghost and Mrs. Muir that haunt the atmosphere and linger with me.

SV: Favorite Halloween candy?

KL: I like intense dark chocolates, but you don’t usually find those in Halloween offerings. However, as much as I try to be a chocolate snob, I find that in most cases SOME chocolate is better than NO chocolate, so I content myself with Butterfingers or those “Special Dark” candies. Haha. But I usually prefer chocolate that’s so good, I absorb it into my tongue and don’t swallow for as long as possible.

SV: Favorite Halloween costume (one you've worn or wish you had worn)?

KL: I like being Catwoman – the Michelle Pfeiffer brand. She’s kind of my alter ego, but unlike her, I don’t let issues get in the way of loving good men. (She could have had BATMAN! What a silly girl.) I also love dressing up as Elf Queen/Fairy Queen characters. And the costume I’d like to create someday is Alice’s coat of armor from Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland. I think that’d be just swell, battling the Jabberwockies and all.

SV: Where can we visit you on the web?

KL: You can visit my website: http://HalloweenCarols.com

And my Facebook page, where I do a lot of conversing: http://www.facebook.com/HalloweenCarols

And Twitter: http://twitter.com/HalloweenCarols

SV: Thanks so much for joining me, Kristen! Please continue to create your wonderful Halloween Carols™ for years to come. Happy Halloween!!

KL: Thank you. I appreciate your highlighting my music on your site!

HalloweenCarols.com

Download Halloween Carols™:
Amazon
CDBaby
iTunes

BREAKING DAWN Featurette, MIDNIGHT SON on FEARNet, & VAMPIRE MOB's Dinner Party

2011-10-21T19:32:00.000-07:00

Here are a few items to keep you entertained as we enter the second-to-last weekend before Halloween...

Midnight Son Is Coming to FearNet!

Fantastic news for indie vampire cinema: critically acclaimed vampire drama Midnight Son will be premiering on FEARnet in January 2012, which marks the first time FEARnet has acquired a film directly from the filmmakers. “We normally acquire films from distributors, but after seeing the film earlier this year and really loving it, I contacted the filmmakers about acquiring it directly from them,” says Peter Block, FEARnet’s President & General Manager. “I know it will be something that the FEARnet audience will really respond to, and will be a perfect fit to our 2012 film lineup.”

Congratulations to everyone involved with Midnight Son!

Breaking Dawn: Part 1 Featurette

The Twilight Saga actors dish on the big Bella/Edward wedding scene in Breaking Dawn: Part 1:

"Dinner for Six"

The next episode of the sharp and hilarious series Vampire Mob arrives this Sunday, October 23, and you're invited to drop by to chat with actor John Colella and writer/director Joe Wilson from 11 AM-Noon that day on the Vampire Mob YouTube page. Here's an atmospheric new Vampire Mob poster to whet your appetite...

Kristen Lawrence Is Coming to Suburban Vampire!

Be sure to visit me here at Suburban Vampire this upcoming Monday. I'll be chatting with Kristen Lawrence, a talented musician who'll ensure you never again have dull music playing at your Halloween soirees.

Vampire Flash Mob

2011-10-20T10:40:00.000-07:00

I just received the following flash mob news from the makers of Vampire Wedding:
_______________________________________

Castalides Pictures invites everyone to join the Vampire Wedding Flash Mob in London, on Saturday, October 29, from 2:00 to 3:00 pm at the entrance of the MCM Expo Comic Con (a Vampire Wedding representative with a T-shirt will be there).

Aspiring vampires can register on Facebook and get ready to show up dressed as vampires, vampire grooms & brides, or vampire flower girls.

All Vampire Wedding fans will be given the chance to meet with the Vampire Wedding team at the Comic Con and to have their pictures taken to post on Facebook and on the Vampire Wedding website (www.vampireweddingmovie.com) to be considered for a role in the comic book or in the movie, or just to have fun and show the photos to their friends.

People who will not be able to be in London can still take part by sending their photos to casting AT vampireweddingmovie.com on October 29 or simply posting them on the Vampire Wedding Facebook wall.

A Creepy Sampling of Upcoming Ghost Movie Trailers

2011-10-18T20:11:00.000-07:00

Are you in the mood for supernatural tales that don't just involve fangs and bloodsuckers this Halloween? Here's a sampling of eerie-looking ghost stories coming to theaters in the very near (in some cases, next week) and not-too-distant future.

The Awakening
Starring: Rebecca Hall, Dominic West, and Imelda Staunton
Release Date: October 25, 2011 (London Film Festival)

The Woman in Black
(Newest Trailer)
Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Janet McTeer, and Ciarán Hinds
Release Date: February 3, 2012

Paranormal Activity 3
Starring: Katie Featherston, Sprague Grayden, and Lauren Bittner
Release Date: October 21, 2011

Sweet dreams!

Music Monday: VICTIM OF LOVE by Midnight Serenaders

2011-10-17T20:00:00.000-07:00

On Friday night I saw a live performance of Portland's Midnight Serenaders, a talented band that plays hot jazz and vintage pop of the 1920s and 30s, as well as Jazz Age-inspired original songs written by their ukelele-strumming singer, Dee Settlemier. Their live show was amazing, and I was thrilled to hear a song about spellbinding, zombie-inducing love that would work for a Music Monday feature. In support of local music, here's a sample of "Victim of Love":

MidnightSerenaders.com

Download "Victim of Love":
Amazon
CD Baby
iTunes

The Winner of Christine Cody's First Two Bloodlands Novels

2011-10-17T08:44:00.000-07:00

The winner of signed copies of Christine Cody's Bloodlands and Blood Rules is...

Indigo

Congratulations!

Thanks so much to everyone who entered, and a huge thanks to Christine Cody for offering the giveaway. If you missed her guest post last week, check it out here.

www.ChristineCody.net

The Bloodlands Series at Amazon

Guest Post & Giveaway: Christine Cody Discusses Her BLOODLANDS Series, Her Intro to Horror, & Legend Tripping

2011-10-11T08:00:00.000-07:00

My guest today is Christine Cody, author of the postapocalyptic supernatural Western series Bloodlands. The first book, Bloodlands, launched July 26, followed by Blood Rules (August 30) and In Blood We Trust (September 27). Be sure to check out her contest for SIGNED COPIES of two of her books at the end of the post.
____________________________________

Bloodlands

by Christine Cody

Thanks for having me here!

Recently, my Bloodlands series was launched by Ace. It hasn’t been easy to market it because this series is a hybrid of many different genres: postapocalyptic, classic Western, vampires and urban fantasy, and a bit of mystery (mostly in the first book). Some readers and reviewers have even been referring to it as horror, which I love, seeing as I grew up on a steady diet of it.

Yes, my education in the horrific started early, so it’s no surprise that I love to explore the darkness. My sweet little mom is actually a huge horror fan, and it’s because of her that we would sit around the fire while camping, listening to recordings of old, scary radio shows.

You know the ones I’m talking about—Dial M for Murder, Only the Shadow Knows. They were from a time when sound was more important than the visual, when the use of suspense trumped all else. We would lean forward in our camp chairs, toward the radio in anticipation, seeking warmth and light from the fire as if it would protect us from all the other unknown things lurking in the woods or in our imaginations.

From listening to those tapes (and trying to go to sleep afterward in our tents, where everything cast a shadow on the thin walls), I think my writer’s brain got some training in horror and especially in how to construct a suspenseful moment—something that I hope has translated to scenes like the one in the first Bloodlands book, when the “cruel rancher next door” is showing the “frightened and cowed settlers” that he means business when it comes to protecting his territory….

After the campfire tales, I graduated to grade school and middle school slumber parties. These weren’t your typical innocent sleepovers that a female has when she first starts this ritual. Nope—we’re talking about when girls get old enough to really want to scare each other, like when the more experienced ones bring their “I Believe in Bloody Mary” stories and “Light as a Feather, Stiff as a Board” games. Girls have the ability to wreak some havoc under those circumstances, and in all honesty, you can get a little mentally scarred (if not totally scared!). I remember one game of “Bloody Mary” that sent a few of us screaming for the doors.

I guess I’ve always wanted to do that to other impressionable people, so that’s why I chose horror, LOL.

After that, my family moved to Kentucky for a few wonderful years, and my best friends and I started to get involved with what’s now referred to as “legend tripping.” This is a real thing that sociologists talk about—groups of young people going to places like graveyards, terrifying each other with urban legends, and daring each other to do increasingly weird and warped things to prove their bravery. We were pretty mild, though, and our favorite activity was to go “haunting housing.” We would hear about one abandoned country house or another, then visit it on weekend nights. Some legend trips were more successful than others—once, we went to a house that had toys covering the floor ankle-deep, and we couldn’t figure out what the heck was going on. Very creepy—an image that’s stayed with me for a long time; in fact, it’s going to be making an appearance in an urban fantasy novella I’m currently brainstorming. We also explored a house that was supposedly used as a Civil War hospital (Were those bloodstains on the attic floor???) and a cemetery off a desolate, oak branch-fingered road called The Old Mud Meeting House, where slaves were said to meet and then bury their dead.

It’s funny to look back at what shaped my work—as far as Bloodlands goes, classic Western movies also contributed a lot, since I twisted tropes from those films into paranormal shapes. I have no idea what will inspire my next scary story, but I’m excited about all the ghost hunts (that would be another blog subject) and otherworldy experiences that I’m sure to seek out….

—Christine Cody

CHRISTINE'S CONTEST IS CLOSED.

www.ChristineCody.net

The Bloodlands Series at Amazon

Music Monday: Various Versions of THIS IS HALLOWEEN

2011-10-10T11:27:00.000-07:00

Which is your favorite rendition of Danny Elfman's "This Is Halloween"? The original version from The Nightmare Before Christmas soundtrack? Marilyn Manson's darker take? Panic! at the Disco's quieter interpretation? Your niece's attempt to belt out the song on YouTube? I've lined up the first three options below so you can decide.

Marilyn Manson:

Panic! at the Disco:

The Original—The Citizens of Halloween:

The Winner of Margie Church's NOPEMING SHORES

2011-10-10T08:11:00.000-07:00

The winner of a free ebook copy of Margie Church's Nopeming Shores is...

Pommawolf Emeraldwolfeyes

Congratulations!

Thanks so much to Margie for joining me again at Suburban Vampire. If you missed her guest post last week, check it out here.

If you'd like to learn more about all her novels, head to www.RomanceWithSASS.com.

Last Chance to Enter to Win Margie Church's Ghostly NOPEMING SHORES

2011-10-09T10:37:00.000-07:00

The contest for Margie Church's Nopeming Shores ends tomorrow morning, October 10, at 8:00 AM Pacific. Don't miss out!

ENTER HERE

Scott M. Baker's THE VAMPIRE HUNTERS: DOMINION

2011-10-07T08:00:00.000-07:00

If the cover art of Scott M. Baker's Dominion doesn't have you cowering under your chair (or even if it does), then you'll want to check out the final installment of his Vampire Hunters trilogy. Last year, Scott chatted with me about the first books in the series, and now he's sent me the scoop about this newest release, now available from Pill Hill Press.
_________________________________________

Dominion's Synopsis:

After being hidden away for centuries, the Vampyrnomicon, the Book of the Undead, is finally unearthed, and with it the terrible secret of the vampires’ origins. The discovery of the Vampyrnomicon gives Drake Matthews the means to defeat the Master and eradicate the vampire threat, but it also provides Chiang Shih with the knowledge she needs to make her masters immortal.

Now more powerful than ever, Chiang Shih raises an army of the undead and creates a vampire nation in Washington D.C. Her attempt to assassinate Drake and his colleagues nearly cripples the hunters, but fails to kill them all. Driven by vengeance, and with his band of hunters swelled by unlikely allies, Drake leads the group into the infested city.

With the fate of humankind hanging in the balance, hunters and vampires wage the final epic battle in the streets of the nation’s capital to determine who will hold dominion over the earth.

Buy the Print Edition at Amazon
Buy the Kindle Edition at Amazon
Scott M. Baker's Blog

Guest Post & Giveaway: Margie Church's NOPEMING SHORES Walks on the Ghostly Side

2011-10-04T08:00:00.000-07:00

My guest today is Margie Church, whose newest release, Nopeming Shores, just debuted yesterday. She wrote the novel with the poet J. Andrew Lockhart, and she's here to talk about the book, her writing collaboration, and her central ghost. Be sure to check out her giveaway at the end of the post.
_______________________________

Meet Gabe, the Ghost in Nopeming Shores

by Margie Church

Nopeming (no-paw-ming) Shores is a sensual, paranormal romance about a man named Gabriel Holliway and his wife, Lily. In the story, Gabe is never alive. He's been killed by an IED in the war in Afghanistan. His wife is so distraught that Gabe is given a chance by God to help her find her way through her grief. At the same time, this also helps Gabe get past the tremendous anger he has about being killed and watching his wife put her life back together.

I want to be clear this is not a book based on or about religion or religious beliefs. It is about a spirit unable to leave the confines of earthly existence because of his emotional ties.

Gabe's anger and motivations were largely influenced by the poet J. Andrew Lockhart, who helped me write Nopeming Shores. Andrew says, "I really liked the idea of Margie's story. It almost fit into my own past. Fifteen years ago, when I was 30, I had a stroke and brain surgery. I was on 'code blue' twice in the following weeks. At the time, I had only been married for six years, and we had a one year-old son. (By the way, we have four children now, so not all of me had been damaged.)

"Anyway, I often have thought about what would have happened if I hadn't made it, like Gabe. It still bothers me, even though it's been that long. Because of that, the poetry I wrote for this book was easy. In a way, I had been there before. 'Being Gabe' was easy. Working on the story was much more emotional than I thought it would be. Well worth doing, but I have to say, it's nice to be back in reality."

Building on what Andrew shared, I took the sorrow, anxiety, and downright fear he went through to help create those same emotions in Gabe. Then, I used my own experiences with violent death to build Gabe's anger and sense of betrayal. Conversely, his abiding determination to help his wife, Lily, even after death, is a poignant reminder of the strength of their love.

Nopeming Shores Synopsis:

An IED snuffed out Gabe Holliway's life but couldn't destroy his love. Using his unique gift, Gabe struggles to help his young wife, Lily, rebuild her shattered future.

But when Gabe's ghost reaches out to her, Lily fears she's lost her last hold on sanity. Can she trust what she discovers and what her heart says? When she sees Gabe face-to-face, can she believe her eyes?

When love transcends death, the answers are found in Nopeming Shores.

MARGIE'S CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED.

The winner:
Pommawolf Emeraldwolfeyes.

Buy Nopeming Shores at Noble Romance:
www.nobleromance.com/Authors/102/Margie-Church

Meet Margie:
www.RomanceWithSASS.com
http://blog.RomanceWithSASS.com

Meet J. Andrew Lockhart:
http://jamesalockhart.blogspot.com

Music Monday: THE VAMPIRE WALTZ by Hannah Fury

2011-10-03T12:00:00.000-07:00

I'm kicking off the Halloween season's lineup of Music Mondays with Hannah Fury's "The Vampire Waltz," from the Gothic singer/songwriter's 2000 album, The Thing That Feels. According to Fury's website, mellowtraumatic.com, "when she was 16, 'The Vampire Waltz' first appeared to her in its spectral form." She calls the song "an eight-minute anti-lullaby of love, possession, and the loss of innocence."

The music is lush, haunting, and poetic—perfect for lovers of the romantic side of vampires.

You can find the full lyrics at mellowtraumatic.com/lyrics_TheVampireWaltz.html.

DOWNLOAD THE VAMPIRE WALTZ AT AMAZON.

The Winner of K.A. Corlett's EVER YOUR SERVANT

2011-10-03T08:22:00.000-07:00

The winner of an ebook copy of K.A. Corlett's Ever Your Servant or How Retail Really Sucks is...

Zahir Blue

In celebration of K.A.'s tale of bloodsuckers and bloodsucking retail jobs, I asked, "What's the most miserable job—or most miserable job moment—you've ever had, be it in retail or otherwise?" I have to share Zahir's response, because it's so creepy and entertaining:

"One utterly horrible job I had was to wait in an empty office on an deserted floor in a half-empty skyscraper for a week, with a message to deliver if anyone called.

No one called."

Congratulations, Zahir! Thanks to everyone who entered, and a huge thanks to K.A. Corlett for joining me to chat about her novel. If you missed her interview last week, catch it here.

K.A. Corlett's Website
Buy Ever Your Servant at Amazon
Buy Ever Your Servant at CoachlightPress.com

Last Chance to Win K.A. Corlett's EVER YOUR SERVANT

2011-10-02T08:00:00.000-07:00

The deadline to win a copy of K.A. Corlett's Ever Your Servant or How Retail Really Sucks is tomorrow, October 3, at 8:00 AM PDT.

Praise for Ever Your Servant:

"Vampires, satire, a really nasty retail day job, and occasional doses of the French Revolution; what more could you ask for? Recommended for fans of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and all those who like their fiction offbeat."

—Susanne Alleyn, author of the Aristide Ravel Mysteries and A Far Better Rest

"Corlett's characters never cease to surprise, and her prose mixes the reverential, the farcical, and the truly human with agile ease."

—Kurt R.A. Giambastiani, author of Dreams of the Desert Wind and the Fallen Cloud Saga

"If you prefer your contemporary satire with a twist of the Divine, K.A. Corlett is your gal. Her alchemy blends pop culture, world history, the supernatural, and religions both East and West into a most heady and palatable brew."

—Laura Mazzuca Toops, author of Hudson Lake, The Latham Loop, and Slapstick

"Ever Your Servant is a refreshing spin on the vampire genre (sans the sparkly angst that has damned modern-day vampire lore). It's a fun ride full of great characters."

—Kevin Godin, Theater-of-Cruelty.blogspot.com

"Ever Your Servant is by turns witty, hilarious, terrifying, and sexy. If you're hungry for a vampire tale with a wildly original—and super-sharp—bite, you're ready for EYS."

—Juliet Waldron, author of Mozart's Wife, Genesee, and Hand-Me-Down Bride

ENTER HERE

October 2011 Vampire Events

2011-09-30T13:04:00.000-07:00

Dust off your vampire cloaks and polish your fangs. It's time to head into the night and enjoy costumed diversions amid other vampire fans. Mark your calendars for the following events this October...

Endless Night Vampire Ball of Florida: September 30-October 1 - Hollywood, FL

Vampire The Ball: September 30-October 2 - Heathrow, England

Festival of the Dead: October - Salem, MA

Vampyre Night Out: October 15 - Chicago, IL

The Vampires' Masquerade Ball: October 22 - Salem, MA

Vampire Ball: October 27 - Flint, MI

Bram Stoker International Film Festival: October 28-31 - Whitby, England

EyeCon: The Vampire Diaries 2 Celebrity Convention: October 28-30 - Atlanta, GA

Hallowhedon: October 28-30 - Heathrow, England

Theatre of the Vampires Ball: October 28 - New Orleans, LA

Undead Con: October 28 - New Orleans, LA

Carnival Du Vampires Rock: October 29 - Liverpool, England

The Endless Night Vampire Ball: October 29 - New Orleans, LA

Suburban Vampire is not affiliated with any of the above events. Please check age restrictions before you head out the door.

If you know of any other vampire celebrations scheduled for October 2011, please send me a note at suburbanvamp AT gmail.com.

Interview & Giveaway: K.A. Corlett's EVER YOUR SERVANT or HOW RETAIL REALLY SUCKS

2011-09-27T08:00:00.000-07:00

Joining me today is novelist K.A. Corlett, author of the sharp, witty, and romantic vampire tale Ever Your Servant or How Retail Really Sucks. I had the privilege of reading an earlier version of K.A.'s novel and absolutely loved her blend of vampires, workplace woes, and biting satire. Be sure to check out the Ever Your Servant giveaway at the end of the interview.
______________________________

Suburban Vampire: Welcome, K.A.! How did you first come up with the idea of merging the bloodsucking world of retail with an actual bloodsucker?

K.A. Corlett: Truly, when it all began, I was working in a department store and blithely collecting anecdotes as a form of protest. I mean, the most stupid, utterly puerile things occur in retail every day! And old-school department store retail is the dreary bastion of pastel walls, grimy baseboards, and water-stained ceiling tiles. Of soul-suckage, really. Then, one evening, as I was puzzling over how redemption might ever be achieved, this tall, elegant gent waltzed across my mind's eye. He was grinning ear to ear—not a pleasant smile, exactly, but one that was in sync with my own sentiments at the time. I was slow to sort out the ironies. But soon enough it became clear: even a pastel apocalypse needs its Pale Rider.

SV: What was your oddest experience in your own life as a retail employee?

K.A. Corlett

KAC: Hmm... I actually can't repeat that one in polite company. But it did terminate in one of the best one-liners ever: (Read aloud in a Greco-Italian posturing accent) "I'm doin' you a fave-uhh 'cuz I know you like it."

SV: Oh, my. On a slightly less sinister note, tell us a little about your vampire, Maximillien Lambert (and feel free to make sure we're pronouncing his last name correctly).

KAC: Mais oui, that would be a nasal French 'a' (kind of an 'awm' said through your nose, without the 'm' actually being pronounced separately). The 'ber' is a lot more like 'bear' or 'bairrr'. Skip the final 't' while you're at it. It will still cause a raised eyebrow, but what can we do? Max is a disturbingly charming dead guy. He plays a mean jazz piano and an even meaner harpsichord. He's also an adept yogi who can mess with mortal wiring at fifty paces. When it comes to Death, he works for the Really Big Guns: Max is a devotee of Kali Ma, the fearsome blood-drinking Black Goddess of Hindu lore. Sleep with one eye open... you may already know too much.

SV: What would Max say about the current vampire entertainment craze?

KAC: Hmm... when I asked him, I believe he said, "This too shall pass." Then he smirked and added, "On the other hand, a more intimate relationship with Death could improve the human condition immensely."

SV: When and how did you first become interested in vampires?

KAC: I suppose I'd have to blame that on bad Saturday afternoon horror flicks back in the 1970s. That Bela Lugosi was one snappy dresser.

SV: What are some of your all-time favorite novels?

KAC: Alexandre Dumas' The Count of Monte Cristo is right up there for me, and Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities runs neck and neck (pardon the pun) with that. Nothing like a good bleak bit of historical fiction set in France to get me going. Victor Hugo's Ninety-Three, Sabatini's Scaramouche... but I daresay I'm striking a bit of a theme. (Did I mention I'm obsessed with the French Revolution?) Before we leave the 18th and 19th centuries, of course, I mustn't neglect to mention Dracula and Frankenstein in their delicious horrible-ness... Ah, when folks could still write macabre sans splatter! The Phantom of the Opera is one weird little book (best Erik epithet ever read in a translation: "You booby!")... In terms of more contemporary pieces, I adore Christopher Moore's Lamb: The Gospel According to Bif, Christ's Childhood Pal, and pretty much drooled over Jonathan L. Howard's Johannes Cabal the Necromancer. And anything by Angela Carter, oh that goddess of poetic prose, but especially Nights at the Circus!

SV: What are you currently writing?

KAC: I've got a few things up me wee sleeve, including the anti-sequel to Ever Your Servant, tentatively titled In Her Service (lame, but I had to think of something, because the working title has so far been Tabernak. Oops.). I'm also working on a novella, The Commission, which is set in eighteenth-century France. Bubbling on the back burner are future projects like the story of the Vicomte de Porte-Noire's life (imagine Max not dead!), and a book that belongs just to Tony, that sexy Irish necromancer (before he became a sidekick). A collection of short stories is also in the works.

SV: Where can readers learn more about you and your work?

KAC: I cordially invite them, one and all, to join me at my web site, www.kacorlett.com. They can read a snatch of Ever Your Servant's opening chapters, a few short stories, and sneak previews of upcoming works there. They may also want to eye up my wares at Amazon.com, where they can snap up the new Coachlight Press e-book and POD editions of Ever Your Servant.

SV: Thanks so much for joining me in the burbs, K.A.! I wish you the best for Ever Your Servant.

KAC: My pleasure—thanks for having me!

CONTEST RULES:

K.A. Corlett has graciously offered to give away a free ebook copy of Ever Your Servant. To enter:

1. In the comments section of this post, answer the following question: What's the most miserable job—or most miserable job moment—you've ever had, be it in retail or otherwise?

2. Please include your email address or a website containing your contact info if you don't plan to check back on the day I draw the winner.

DEADLINE: Monday, October 3, 2011, 8:00 AM Pacific Time

Music Monday: MY DADDY IS A VAMPIRE by The Meteors

2011-09-26T08:00:00.000-07:00

We're heading back to 1981 for today's featured song: "My Daddy Is a Vampire" by British psychobilly band The Meteors.

"What's psychobilly?" you may ask. Combine punk rock, rockabilly, and lyrics containing black magic, horror, and science fiction imagery, and you'll get an idea of their distinctive musical sound. "My Daddy Is a Vampire" originally appeared on the band's first album, Meteor Madness, and in a short early-1980s film, also called Meteor Madness.

The Meteors' Website: kingsofpsychobilly.com
Download "My Daddy Is a Vampire" at Amazon.

Reading Events to Keep You Busy through October

2011-09-23T10:47:00.000-07:00

Halloween is creeping around the bend, which means authors, publishers, and book bloggers are already in the midst of offering dark and eerie entertainment.

Here are a few activities already underway or coming soon:

The Sixth Annual R.eaders I.mbibing P.eril Challenge

Hosted by Stainless Steel Droppings, the annual event invites readers to "confront gothic, creepy, horror stories in all their chilling delight."

To participate in the challenge, which runs through Halloween, head to www.stainlesssteeldroppings.com/r-eaders-i-mbibing-p-eril-vi.

Murder, Monsters, Mayhem

A month-long celebration of horror and thriller books, hosted by JennsBookshelves.com, home of Frightful Fridays. During the entire month of October, Jenn will host guest posts and giveaways for fans of the dark side of fiction.

Check out details at www.jennsbookshelves.com/2011/08/05/frightful-friday-murders-monsters-mayhem.

Stefan Petrucha's Dead Mann Walking Tweets

From now through November 4, novelist Stefan Petrucha will be tweeting a quote a day via @SPetrucha for his upcoming zombie noir from Roc Books, Dead Mann Walking.

The synopsis:

JUST BECAUSE YOU'RE DEAD
DOESN'T MEAN YOU CAN'T HAVE A LIFE...

After Hessius Mann was convicted of his wife's murder, suppressed evidence came to light and the verdict was overturned — too bad he was already executed.

Thanks to the miracles of modern science, Hessius was brought back to life. Sort of. Now that he's joined the ranks of Fort Hammer's pulse-challenged population, Hessius attempts to make a “living” as a private investigator.

But when a missing persons case leads to a few zombies cut to pieces, Hessius starts thinking that someone's giving him the run-around — and it's not like he's in any condition to make a quick getaway...

Sample Tweet: "Eventually the damage gets too severe to patch with Krazy Glue. But so what if pieces dangle?"

twitter.com/SPetrucha

Guests & Giveaways Right Here at Suburban Vampire

Make sure you pay me a visit every Tuesday from now through Halloween. I'll be hosting new and established authors in the vampire genre and offering heaping helpings of Halloween treats.

Next Tuesday's guest: K.A. Corlett, author of Ever Your Servant or How Retail Really Sucks.

Happy reading.

Tim Burton's First DARK SHADOWS Photo

2011-09-22T13:20:00.000-07:00

Entertainment Weekly just released the first official cast picture for Tim Burton's upcoming movie adaptation of the classic Gothic soap opera, Dark Shadows.

The photo looks frighteningly similar to my childhood in the 1970s, minus my family's orange couch and shag carpet, so I suppose Tim Burton is succeeding in capturing the essence of the original Dark Shadows time period.

The cast members include Johnny Depp as vampire Barnabas Collins (he's the one in the middle with the signature Barnabas-style cane), Helena Bonham Carter, Chloë Moretz, Eva Green, Gulliver McGrath, Bella Heathcote, Ray Shirley, Jackie Earle Haley, Jonny Lee Miller, and Michelle Pfeiffer. For the full Entertainment Weekly article, head to insidemovies.ew.com.

Winner of Denise Verrico's TWILIGHT OF THE GODS

2011-09-22T08:36:00.000-07:00

The winner of an ebook copy of Denise Verrico's Twilight of the Gods is...

CLAIRE

Congratulations! Thanks so much to Denise for joining me again at Suburban Vampire. If you missed her visits, check out last week's post and her 2010 interview.

For more information about the author, head to www.deniseverricowriter.webs.com.

Last Chance to Enter to Win Denise Verrico's TWILIGHT OF THE GODS

2011-09-21T11:34:00.000-07:00

The deadline to enter Denise Verrico's contest for a free ebook copy of Twilight of the Gods is tomorrow morning, Thursday, September 22, at 8:00 AM PDT. Don't miss out!

ENTER HERE

THE ANNOTATED CARMILLA Blog Tour

2011-09-20T08:00:00.000-07:00

To celebrate the release of The Annotated Carmilla, editor D. MacDowell Blue is traveling the blogosphere with a rare Polish television adaptation of Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu's classic vampire tale. I'm sharing the video below, but the movie will only be available during the remainder of the blog tour, which ends October 12.

The Annotated Carmilla Synopsis:

Surrounded by forests and empty valleys in Styria, Laura grew up with her father and almost no one else. Then SHE arrived. Carmilla. Beautiful and kind, fragile and lonely. As mysterious as she was devoted to Laura.

She was also hungry.

Ever since its publication in 1872, Carmilla has been a classic of the vampire genre. Now at last a comprehensive guide to Le Fanu's work exists, including answers to questions many have not even thought to ask!

Rare Polish Television Adaptation of Carmilla:

Past Blog Tour Participants:
Night Tinted Glasses
Facebook Page of the Tour
A Paranormal Lovers View
Review of The Polish Carmilla
Search for the Lure of the Vampire
Chastity's Romance News
The Graveyard (Lair of Gary James)

Future Participants:
Dustin Bishop
Eventide Envisions
The Ramblings of Amy
Kay Dee Royal, Paranormal & Erotica Romance Musings
Illusions of Intimacy

The Annotated Carmilla at Amazon

Music Monday: Blondie's NO EXIT

2011-09-19T08:00:00.000-07:00

Some of my earliest memories consist of dancing to music by Blondie in my family's living room, thanks to my dad's love of the band. I was singing songs like "Rip Her to Shreds" and "Atomic" long before I knew what the lyrics meant and envying my friend's Debbie Harry hairstyle.

Last week, I was ecstatic to discover Panic of Girls, Blondie's newly released studio album (their ninth). To celebrate the legendary group's return to the spotlight, I'm making today's Music Monday featured vampire song "No Exit," a track from Blondie's 1999 album of the same name.

Take Johann Sebastian Bach's "Toccata and Fugue in D minor," combine it with rappers Coolio and Loud Allstars (Inspectah Deck, U-God, and Mobb Deep), and add Debbie Harry's signature voice declaring, "There's no sin in this: getting dressed to kill." The result: vampire music, Blondie style.

Download "No Exit" at Amazon
Download Panic of Girls (Amazon Exclusive)

Guest Post & Giveaway with Denise Verrico, Author of the IMMORTYL REVOLUTION Series

2011-09-16T08:00:00.000-07:00

Guest blogging today is novelist Denise Verrico, who first chatted with me about her Immortyl Revolution series last September. She's here to discuss her newest release, My Fearful Symmetry, and the inspiration behind her vampire characters. Welcome, Denise!
______________________________

A Different Take on Vampire Mythology

By Denise Verrico

When I set out to write Cara Mia my first Immortyl Revolution novel, I read a lot of books on vampire legends. I’ve always been attracted to the figure of the vampire. The all-powerful vampire appealed to me as a kind of dark superhero. Almost every culture has some sort of vampire myth. Like most people, I was familiar with the Eastern European vampire myths. In these stories, the vampire is typically thought of as an “undead” demon or re-animated corpse that feeds on the lifeblood or sometimes the soul or sexual energy of human victims.

As I dug further into the lore, I found that a lot of evidence points to these vampire legends first appearing in India. This gave me the basis of the Immortyl culture of my vampire series. Indian mythology provides many examples of vampire-like spirits and deities, but one deity often associated with vampirism is Kali, a fierce form of the mother goddess (Shakti) and consort of Shiva. Kali is an intimidating figure, usually depicted as emaciated with withered dark blue or black skin and three eyes. She even wears the body parts of her victims as jewelry and has a blood-red tongue that sticks out in defiance. Her favorite places are battlefields, where she and her attendants, the dakini, become intoxicated on the blood of victims.

Because of this fearsome image and some pop-culture references to her, Kali is an often-misunderstood figure in the West. However, Kali is the goddess of time, not death, and only slays evil demons. Symbolically, she annihilates the selfish impulses and ego that bind us to our material bodies. Her aspect may be ferocious, but she is called Kali Maa (Mother Kali) and is revered in many parts of India. Historically, only one group associated with Kali was known for violence, the Thugees. These devotees would waylay travelers and use them as blood sacrifices to the goddess. The Thugees were the inspiration behind the Kali worshipers in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, hence a lot of the western misconception.

Tantric cults often focus on Kali. Tantra is an older religious tradition than Hinduism, dating back before the Aryan tribes migrated into India. These groups center on Shakti (female principle) worship and sometimes use sex and even blood in their rituals. The idea behind this is to gain control over the body to capture divine energy and gain blessings. The more I read, the more I became fascinated with the stories surrounding Kali and tantric practices. This led me to imagine the origin of the Immortyl culture and their own religion based on tantra. In my research, I also came across accounts of the devidasi. These were female temple devotees, skilled in music and dance and frequently exploited as courtesans. Some of them actually wielded surprising power.

The devidasi inspired the adepts of the ancient arts in my series. These extraordinarily beautiful male and female Immortyls serve Kali as singers, musicians and dancers. Like their historical counterparts the devidasi, they are employed as courtesans. The sexual aspect of the adepts’ art is an elaborate tantric ritual symbolizing the act of Immortyl creation.

The latest Immortyl Revolution novel, My Fearful Symmetry, is set mostly in India at the chief elder’s court. Here Immortyls live much as they did three thousand years ago. Nineteen-year-old Cedric MacKinnon, fresh from the modern-day streets of London, is trained as an adept and becomes entangled in a web of intrigue centered on the revolution started by Mia and Kurt in the first two books. The young man soon realizes that the chief elder uses Kali’s fearsome reputation as a tool to exert control over other Immortyls. Cedric is at first highly skeptical of the Goddess’ power, but after much trial and tribulation he begins to question his disbelief.

I like to call Cedric my naughty boy. He’s highly irreverent, funny, sexy, and flamboyant. If he had his druthers, he’d be the front man of a rock band. The boy is irrepressible. Even after all the crap I put him through, he fights on. It was a blast writing from the point of view of this male character after writing two books from Mia’s.

If you haven’t read the first two books, never fear. My Fearful Symmetry can be read first in the series because the saga is seen through fresh eyes. The reader can then go back later and read Mia and Kurt’s story in the first two books.

Links:
immortylrevolution.blogspot.com
deniseverricowriter.webs.com
Facebook Page for Immortyl Revolution Fans
Facebook Page for Cedric MacKinnon, Male Vampire Courtesan and Badass

CONTEST RULES:
Denise Verrico has graciously offered a a free ebook copy of Twilight of the Gods, the second novel in her Immortyl Revolution series.

To enter:
1. Leave a comment for Denise or for her character Cedric—"Male Vampire Courtesan and Badass"—in the comments section of this post.

2. Please include your email address if you don't plan to check back on the day I draw the winner.

DEADLINE: Thursday, September 22, 2011, 8:00 AM Pacific Time

THE DEAD HOUR

2011-09-14T09:22:00.000-07:00

The first teaser trailer for the new season of the horror webseries The Dead Hour is now available:

The Dead Hour is an indie horror anthology series that centers around a mysterious and sexy radio DJ who brings her audience dark and twisted tales each night. The first season launched last fall, and webisodes can be seen exclusively at www.thedeadhour.com.

Season 2 is currently in production and will feature nine new episodes that will premiere October 18, 2011, also exclusively on the series' website.

More news, updates, and behind-the-scenes features can be found on the Magnum Pictures Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/magnumpictures.

The Winner of Kathryn Leigh Scott's DARK PASSAGES

2011-09-12T10:37:00.000-07:00

The winner of Kathryn Leigh Scott's
Dark Passages is . . .

CJ Barnette

Congratulations, CJ!

Kathryn: Thanks so much for making Suburban Vampire your first stop on the Dark Passages blog tour. We'll eagerly await news of your next publications, and we can't wait to see your cameo in Tim Burton's upcoming version of Dark Shadows!

Thanks also to everyone who entered Kathryn's giveaway. If you didn't get a chance to win, make sure you run out and get your copy of Dark Passages today.

Dark Passages at Amazon

Contest for DARK PASSAGES Closed

2011-09-12T08:01:00.001-07:00

The contest for Kathryn Leigh Scott's Dark Passages is now closed. I will announce the winner at ~10:30 AM PDT.

Release Party for BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER Comic Series, Season 9

2011-09-09T13:03:00.000-07:00

Portland's Dark Horse Comics will be throwing a release party for Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Season 9, written by creator Joss Whedon, with Andrew Chambliss of the CW's The Vampire Diaries.

WHEN: Wednesday, September 14, 2011
TIME: 7:00 PM - 10:00 PM
WHERE: Things from Another World
4133 NE Sandy Blvd., Portland, OR
WHAT: Editor Scott Allie and artist Georges Jeanty will be on hand to answer questions. Guests will receive a free Buffy swag bag from Dark Horse with the purchase of Buffy Season 9 #1 (while supplies last) and enjoy free beer (with valid ID) from Columbia River Brewing Company.

If you can't make it to the premiere party, you can still enjoy Buffy by pre-ordering the newest issue at tfaw.com.

Season 9 Synopsis:
Season 8 ended with a bang when Buffy cut the world off from the hell dimensions and all supernatural influence. Great, right? Except Buffy has left her best friend, Willow, powerless, and ended the long line of vampire slayers, leaving her hated by the hundreds of girls who recently stood behind her. Newly relocated to San Francisco, Buffy can count on a fresh start, and focus on what she's good at—slaying.

www.darkhorse.com

A Belated Music Monday in Honor of My DARK SHADOWS Guest

2011-09-07T13:40:00.000-07:00

You still have time to enter to win a copy of Kathryn Leigh Scott's vampire novel, Dark Passages. Kathryn stopped by on Monday to chat about her life as a Dark Shadows regular, a Playboy Bunny, and an author. Details about her Dark Passages giveaway are listed at the end of her post.

I haven't featured any Music Mondays lately due to my hectic summer schedule. Even though it's Wednesday, two days later than usual (and there's no fun alliteration involved with "Music Wednesdays"), I've decided to spotlight the music of Dark Shadows in honor of Kathryn.

There are a few soundtrack options for fans of the Gothic 60s soap, from Dark Shadows: The 30th Anniversary Collection to The Original Music of Dark Shadows. The most extensive (and, therefore, priciest) choice is Dark Shadows: Complete Soundtrack Music Collection, an eight-disc(!) CD set. The composer is Robert Cobert, who went on to create soundtracks for the various Dark Shadows series and movies that followed (although Danny Elfman will be composing the 2012 movie adaptation).

Here's a small taste of Cobert's classic spooky-60s sound:

If you'd like to try playing Cobert's music yourself, it might help to have a theremin in your house. If that's not possible, you can find arrangements for your piano or keyboard in the Dark Shadows Music Book.

Guest Post & Giveway with Author/DARK SHADOWS Actress Kathryn Leigh Scott

2011-09-05T07:00:00.000-07:00

Kathryn Leigh Scott

I'm thrilled to pieces to have actress/author Kathryn Leigh Scott as a guest blogger here at Suburban Vampire. Kathryn played Josette DuPrés and Maggie Evans in the Gothic '60s soap opera, Dark Shadows, which Tim Burton is currently turning into a major motion picture starring Johnny Depp (Kathryn recently filmed a cameo for the movie!).

Today she's kicking off a blog tour for her debut vampire novel, Dark Passages, an affectionate nod to both the New York Playboy Club, where she worked as a Bunny, and Dark Shadows.

About the Novel:

"Dark Passages is a deliciously wicked witches’ brew—a sly look at the swinging Sixties, a private glimpse behind the scenes of the New York Playboy Club, and, to top it all off, a supernatural tale of love and personal empowerment on the set of a hit TV show suspiciously similar to Dark Shadows—in which the author once starred!"
—Robert Masello, author of The Medusa Amulet

"Reading Dark Passages was like being back on the sets of Dark Shadows, except with real vampires behind the scenes!"
—Jonathan Frid, Barnabas Collins on Dark Shadows
___________________________________________________

Guest Post:
KATHRYN LEIGH SCOTT, author of DARK PASSAGES

Dark Passages is, for me, a very personal book. It’s a novel—certainly not a memoir! None of the events in Dark Passages actually happened in my own life, but I wanted to capture that period of great change and intense discovery that I did experience when I left my home town after high school and went to the big city.

It was not only a time of great change for me but also for our country, which is why I chose to bookend my story with two significant events: the Cuban Missile Crisis in October 1962 and the assassination of President Kennedy in November 1963, just a year and a month later. That time frame also marked my first year in New York City.

True, I did grow up on a farm in Minnesota and move to New York with dreams of becoming an actress. I did work as a Bunny at the New York Playboy Club to support myself until I got my big break, a role on the afternoon Gothic Romance soap, Dark Shadows—and all of that is part of the background, the setting for my novel. But Dark Passages is about Meg Harrison’s very secret life as a vampire living among mortals. Everything that a young woman would experience leaving her home and family for the first time, exploring a strange, new city, making friends, launching a career and finding love and romance, are all heightened by the fact that Meg has no one to guide her, no one to confide in or provide support. She also challenges herself with her commitment to make it on her own without utilizing her paranormal gifts.

When I was creating the character of Maggie Evans on Dark Shadows, I thought about a Carl Sandburg poem I read in high school, called "Mamie." “Mamie beat her head against the bars of a small Indiana town and dreamed of romance and adventure somewhere . . . down the railroad track.” That’s Maggie, and it also expresses the yearning and youthful dreams of Meg Harrison.

I also took a cue from Jonathan Frid, who created the iconic character of Barnabas Collins, the reluctant vampire who was repulsed by the curse that made him harm other people to satisfy his blood lust—and sought a cure. I have created my own world of vampire life, one that I am exploring further in my sequel to Dark Passages.

Obviously, I’ve written Dark Passages with more than a passing nod to Dark Shadows. This year, while we celebrate the 45th anniversary of Dark Shadows, Johnny Depp is playing Barnabas Collins in the new Warner Bros. film, directed by Tim Burton. Thanks to the Internet, it is now no secret that you may catch a glimpse of me, Lara Parker, David Selby, and Jonathan Frid in the new Warner Bros. film, due to be released in May 2012.

Readers of my nonfiction books about the series know what really happened all those years ago when a small company of actors got together and created the world of Dark Shadows. Now I’m satisfying my itch to write a novel about that time and that world—combining elements of horror, romance, and fantasy to tell my own story about a vampire, a witch, and unrequited love.

—Kathryn Leigh Scott

Contest Rules:
Kathryn Leigh Scott has graciously offered a giveaway copy of Dark Passages to one lucky Suburban Vampire winner.

To enter:
1. You must have a U.S. mailing address.
2. Leave a comment for Kathryn in the comments section of this post (I've been told she'll be stopping by to chat with readers).
3. Please include your email address if you don't plan to check back on the day I draw the winner (you do not need to list your snail mail address).
DEADLINE: Monday, September 12, 2011, 8:00 AM Pacific Time

Good luck!

Suburban Vampire Will Return with a DARK SHADOWS Treat Monday, Sept. 5

2011-08-29T11:27:00.000-07:00

Suburban Vampire will come back to life after a summer of intermittent blogging next Monday, September 5. I'll be kicking off my pre-Halloween season of guests and giveaways, starting with a cast member of the original Dark Shadows series. Save the date and stop by.

In the meantime, check out MTV's new vampire/zombie/werewolf mockumentary series, Death Valley, which premiere's tonight at 10:30 PM ET/PT.

MTV Shows

www.mtv.com/shows/death_valley/series.jhtml

Spooky New Trailer for THE WOMAN IN BLACK

2011-08-18T22:17:00.000-07:00

I swore I wouldn't blog much until Labor Day, but I had to post this delightfully eerie diversion...

Before the movie version of The Woman in Black debuts February 2012, be sure to read Susan Hill's excellent novel upon which it's based.

FRIGHT NIGHT Treats

2011-08-17T21:49:00.000-07:00

I'm about to embark upon intensive manuscript revisions that will keep me busy until Labor Day weekend. Before I hide away from the blogging world, however, I thought I'd post more clips from Fright Night, which hits theaters this Friday, August 19. Enjoy... and feel free to leave a note in the comments section saying whether or not you liked the movie.

Official Website: www.welcometofrightnight.com

VAMPIRISM BITES, Season 2, Premieres Today

2011-08-17T09:00:00.000-07:00

The second season of the comedy series Vampirism Bites debuts today on vampirismbites.com and blip.tv.

This season: Belle gets to know her "mother," the Dracula herself, while the being known as The First Hunter works his way toward the only goal in his crusading, undying life: the end of all vampires. Or is that really his goal?

An additional thirteen episodes of the series will air on Wednesdays.

VAMPIRE MOB News

2011-08-16T11:40:00.000-07:00

"Back to Rectify the Situation," the third episode of Vampire Mob's second season, is now available at vampiremob.com. The episode stars John Colella, Reamy Hall, Marcia Wallace, Kenny Lombino, Dan Olivo, Joe Tabb, Carmen Mormino, and Peter Spruyt. You can also catch the entire first season over there, but be warned of language fit for mobsters and uncontrollable bouts of laughter.

Music Mondays on Hiatus until September, but...

2011-08-15T12:14:00.000-07:00

Due to summer vacation taking a toll on my blogging schedule, I'm holding off on posting any more Music Mondays until mid-September. On Monday, September 5, I'll be hosting a Dark Shadows event and contest, so definitely mark that particular date on your calendars!!

In the meantime, if you have any vampire/gothic/Halloweenish song requests, please send them here. You can find my list of all the songs I've spotlighted at my Vampire Music Mondays page.

AT STAKE: VAMPIRE SOLUTIONS

2011-08-12T16:12:00.000-07:00

The makers of At Stake: Vampire Solutions, an indie film about vampire exterminators (yes, exterminators, not hunters), just released their new trailer. Here's the movie's synopsis:

Memphis film student, Evan Shandling, decides that his senior film should be about how the economy has effected local businesses. So with that in mind, Evan packs up his camera and heads south into North Mississippi to document one of the hardest-hit and most dangerous jobs around, vampire removal. Embedding himself with the small vampire removal company, At Stake: Vampire Solutions (AS:VS), Evan documents, interviews, and goes on calls with AS:VS workers as they struggle to keep their business afloat and make it to the next day alive.

Parental advisory: This trailer is not yet rated and contains language unsuitable for younger viewers.

For more At Stake: Vampire Solutions enjoyment, head over to the film's mock website: www.as-vs.com.

A Message from the Creators of VAMPIRE WEDDING (Casting Contest Included)

2011-08-10T08:00:00.000-07:00

So you think you know vampires, don’t you?

Yes, those night creatures with an allergy to garlic and a genuine
dislike of the light, covered with the blood of their last victim, yet
hunting for more.

Correct? Not really, or at least not totally. Because vampires also have a conceited side, they crave not only blood but fame. They like light too (in the sense of footlights) and to show up with pride their fangs, especially in front of a camera.

To satisfy their thirst for fame and celebrity, UK Company Castalides
Pictures gives the opportunity to millions of aspiring (and real)
vampires to play one with the launch of the very first cross-media
global vampire casting campaign, THE VAMPIRE WEDDING CASTING COMPETITION, by using Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, iPhone, and Android APPs to cast them.

All the blood-hunters can easily download a brand new iPhone and iPad
App called VAMPCASTING from www.vampireweddingmovie.com/mobile. This App is totally free and unique in its kind: it is in fact the very first App created by a film production company to cast aspiring
vampire extras from all over the world for the launch of the Vampire Wedding comic miniseries and feature film.

To use this App is as easy as biting a neck: once downloaded it will take users straight to the "Vampire Casting" page, where they can click to take vampire photos to upload to Facebook at www.facebook.com/vampirewedding or to send it by e-mail straight away. It is also possible to view your "Saved Vampire Photos" in a built-in image gallery. There are also tabs to click on at the bottom of the App such as "About VW," to find more information on Vampire Wedding and the casting competition.

The best shots will give the fanged contestants the chance to be
featured in the comic book or to play a vampire in the Vampire Wedding movie.

In order to take part in the three casting competitions, aspiring
vampires would need to let their imagination go wild and post their
best vampire impressions on the Vampire Wedding Facebook fan page -
www.facebook.com/vampirewedding.

The winners will:

- Become the vampire of the week on the Vampire Wedding website as well as on the Facebook fanpage, where a banner with their picture will be published.

- Become immortal by having their very own character drawn as a vampire in the artwork of the Vampire Wedding comic book.

- Play a vampire in Vampire Wedding film: winner will have the
opportunity to play a vampire on the film set.

The casting campaign was presented at the London Film & Comic Con from
July 8 to 10 by Gina Varela, The Devil's Rock actress, and attracted a great deal of interest from both LFCC and horror film audiences and is creating a big buzz on the net. In less than a few weeks, the company’s Facebook fan page received hundreds of pictures from aspiring and professional actors and
aspiring vampires from all over the world, with most of them giving a vampire impression by showing fangs and fake blood.

The first issue of the Vampire Wedding comic miniseries, penciled, inked, and colored by DC and Marvel comic artist legend Eduardo Barreto, will be presented at the end of October at the London MCM
Expo Comic Con.

ON VAMPIRE WEDDING COMIC BOOK & MOVIE

Vampire Wedding is a romantic horror comic miniseries and upcoming
film created by Robert Huttinger and produced by Castalides Pictures'
directors Francesca Lombardo and Robert Huttinger. Robert Huttinger
is a writer, producer, and creator of high-concept TV series and motion
pictures, such as best-selling RTL action TV series Cobra 11 and Cops
2000. He also has a romantic comedy film, Kiss the Frog, produced by
Michael London (Sideways, Get Smart, Milk, The Informant) with Katie
Holmes starring, currently in production.

The pages of the comic are penciled, inked, and colored by Eduardo
Barreto, a top artist from DC Comics and Marvel Comics who has worked
on The New Teen Titans, Superman, Batman, Star Wars, Marvel Knights,
Aliens vs. Predators, and Indiana Jones. The cover art of the comic was
created by Franke, an illustrator from Vienna. He has worked for
production companies all over the world, doing political cartoons,
comics, tattoo designs, and record covers, to name a few.

Vampire Wedding trailer: www.youtube.com/user/vampirewedding
Vampire Wedding website: www.vampireweddingmovie.com

Music Monday: FRIGHT NIGHT Soundtracks

2011-08-08T08:00:00.000-07:00

The 2011 version of Fright Night, a suburban vampire(!) movie starring Colin Farrell, Anton Yelchin, and Toni Collette, opens one week from Friday, August 19. The soundtrack will follow on August 29 and features a score composed by Ramin Djawadi.

Before we gear up for the new music, I thought I'd take a moment to pay homage to the soundtrack from the original Fright Night, which starred Chris Sarandon as vampire-next-door Jerry Dandridge (the Colin Farrell role in the new film). The movie debuted in 1985, which means the music bears a distinctive 80s sound. Notable Fright Night songs such as Brad Fiedel's "Come to Me" are heavy on the electronics and light on the gothic vibe, but they're still a part of vampire movie history, so I'm offering a small taste. Tease your bangs, grab your boom box, and enjoy.

Dusk Comics

2011-08-05T21:04:00.000-07:00

Dusk Comics, an independent publisher of comics and graphic novels, including superhero pulps, supernatural thrillers, and fantasy manga, just announced their late-2011/early-2012 publication schedule:

Fall 2011

The Trials and Tribulations of Miss Tilney
Cub reporter Henrietta Tilney is sent on her first assignment, to interview accused mass murderer Lord Beowulf Harwood. But young Henrietta quickly finds out there is much more to this story and its subject. Will this plucky young reporter get her story and survive with her life intact? A Penny Dreadful in three parts!

Bonus: The Trials and Tribulations of Miss Tilney Victorian Costume Contest

Fullmoon Stories
Shock and horror, together at last.
This is old-school horror, not your modern hack and slash that passes as scary with physical threats, but old stories that have the power to touch you deep.

Early 2012:

Dusk, Vol 3
Light is being shined into the darkness, illuminating some of the hidden truths. Finally get to read how Eve and Vampire Lord Ash first met. Read how Ash was turned into the damned monster that he is. Come join us as we delve in the sordid past of the tragic figures of Dusk and learn how they got their deep scars.

For more information about all Dusk Comics titles, head to www.duskcomics.com.

Here Come the Poes

2011-08-04T01:19:00.000-07:00

Val Kilmer & Ben Chaplin (as Poe), Twixt

As I've mentioned before, I've been falling drastically behind on blogging this summer because of progress on my book manuscripts and the fact that my kids and husband are home for two and a half months. But... I have had time to keep up on my Entertainment Weekly reading—my revered Friday-night guilty pleasure.

Last week I read the Comic-Con wrap-up issue and saw a photo featuring a movie audience wearing 3-D glasses shaped like Edgar Allan Poe's face. My first thought: "Oh, the audience is watching that upcoming John Cusack Poe movie, The Raven." Nope. They were watching another film that features Poe: Francis Ford Coppola's Twixt. Oddly enough, neither film is a biopic about the famous troubled author of dark tales, and each treat him more as a character than a real-life man. Furthermore, an upcoming TV series and a farcical movie are creating their own versions of the famous nineteenth-century writer.

Here are the various E.A.P.'s you'll be seeing soon on big and small screens:

Twixt
The story: A writer with a declining career arrives in a small town as part of his book tour and gets caught up in a murder mystery involving a young girl.
Poe's role: From what I can gather, Poe appears in dream sequences that involve the main character's trippy search for answers.
Who plays Poe?: Ben Chaplin

John Cusack

The Raven
The story: A fictionalized account of the last days of Edgar Allan Poe's life, in which the poet is in pursuit of a serial killer whose murders mirror those in the writer's stories.
Poe's role: Crime solver.
Who plays Poe?: John Cusack

Poe
The story: Follows Edgar Allan Poe as the world's first detective, using unconventional methods to investigate dark mysteries in 19th-century Boston.
Poe's role: Crime solver.
Who plays Poe?: Christopher Egan

Lives and Deaths of the Poets
The story: Comprising a series of approximately 50 comic vignettes, the movie is the fictional story of what really did NOT happen to famed poets who have so enriched all of our lives..
Poe's role: Hard to tell from the website, although he's listed as an author and beer drinker.
Who plays Poe?: Greg Coale

I'm happy Poe is having his moment in the modern cinematic spotlight, but the guy married his thirteen-year-old cousin, made a huge impact on the horror genre, invented the modern detective story, and struggled with drinking and depression. Do we really need a fictionalized version of him? Isn't he interesting enough as is? My challenge to filmmakers: bring us a gripping, straight-from-Poe's-letters biopic.

FOURTH MEAL

2011-07-27T15:40:00.000-07:00

Filmmaker Nikyatu Jusu (an NYU Grad Film alum) is offering a peek at the screenplay for her vampire web series, Fourth Meal. The script is a finalist in The Rockstone Foundation's Black Women's Entertainment Web Series Screenplay Contest, and you can cast your vote and help decide the winner. Jusu plans to use the prize money to shoot the series' pilot.

Fourth Meal synopsis: A dangerous new breed of black vampires protected by added melanin roam the earth. Rayne, a half vampire, half human hybrid, has one insatiable need: to eradicate corrupt vampires.

Read the Fourth Meal Script
Cast Your Vote

An Avalanche of Undead News

2011-07-22T22:17:00.000-07:00

During the past two months I've been revising and polishing two separate manuscripts, which I've now turned in to my agent. Therefore, I desperately need to catch up on the avalanche of vampire news cascading into my inbox. Here are some of the items that have been coming my way:

Comic-Con

San Diego's annual festival of all things dark, fantastic, and—yes—even geeky is now in full swing and runs through the weekend (the final day is July 24). Highlights for vampire fans include a preview of Underworld: Awakening, a True Blood panel, and a Q&A session called "Vampires and Others: How do you make a relationship work when you or your significant other lack a pulse or face other mortal-challenged issues?" For full details, head to www.comic-con.org.

Bloodletting.org

Bloodletting.org is a new text-based, role-playing game with a vampire theme, played by people from across the globe. Players develop personalities for their characters through interaction with other players in various forums. Stories are told, shared, role played, and expanded upon.

Rebirth by Sophie Littlefield

I interviewed Littlefield about her young adult novel, Banished, last fall, and Rebirth, the second installment of her apocalyptic zombie series for adults, is now available from Luna Books. All Things Urban Fantasy says of the novel, "Rebirth is part The Walking Dead, part The Road, and part something totally new and engrossing... You need to read this book. You will be disturbed, you will be compelled, and you will not be the same." Check out SophieLittlefield.com.

Vampires Revealed

Join Bektamun, a 3000-year-old vampire, on a journey of discovery. Leave behind your preconceived ideas, forget the horror stories, and disregard everything you think you know about vampires. vampiresrevealed.weebly.com

Blood and Bone China

Episode 9, "Goodbye Happiness," is now available:

To view all episodes, visit bloodandbonechina.com.

Upcoming Ghostly Films

2011-07-13T12:05:00.000-07:00

Yes, I typically highlight upcoming vampire films, but ghosts are my first paranormal love, and there are two ghostly movies on the way that have captured my interest. Here are the trailers and info.

Restless
Director Gus Van Sant's (Good Will Hunting, Milk) story of a terminally ill girl (Alice in Wonderland's Mia Wasikowska), a boy with a Harold and Maude-ish love of funerals (Henry Hopper, son of Dennis Hopper), and the ghost of a Japanese kamikaze pilot (Ryo Kase). The movie premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in May and will be arriving in select theaters in September.

The Woman in Black
Daniel Radcliffe's retirement from the Harry Potter series finds him working as a young lawyer who travels to the eerie home of a deceased woman in Victorian England. Based on the novel by Susan Hill. If the movie is anything as good as a stage adaptation of the story I saw years ago in London, this should be an excellent, chilling, ghostly treat.

Music Monday: Mariee Sioux's "Flowers and Blood"

2011-07-11T11:14:00.000-07:00

When I'm at a loss about what song to share on Music Monday, I often head over to the Children of the Night radio program for ideas. During one of her shows this past spring, host Aylin Unal played Mariee Sioux's dreamy, gothic "Flowers and Blood" from the 2007 album Faces in The Rocks. If you're in the mood for kinder and gentler music with a blood theme, this one should work for you.

VAMPIRE WEDDING Casting Contest

2011-07-07T08:00:00.000-07:00

Vampire fans can enter to win the chance to appear in Castalides Pictures' upcoming horror/comedy film, Vampire Wedding. Here's the official info from the Vampire Wedding team:
___________________________

BE THE NEXT VAMPIRE/VAMPIRE SLAYER STAR!

Give us your very best vampire ATTIRE/IMPRESSION! Upload your PHOTO to the Vampire Wedding Facebook fan page or via our Vampire Wedding iPhone Casting App, which will be live in the next couple of weeks, or if you prefer, upload your VIDEO to our brand-new Vampire Wedding YouTube channel. This is your chance to play a VAMPIRE alongside REAL A-LIST ACTORS on a FILM SET!

Don’t forget to send your contact details to info AT vampireweddingmovie.com, referring to the Vampire Casting Competition.

For face-to-face meetings with the Vampire Wedding Casting Team, Castalides Pictures will be presenting Vampire Wedding at the LONDON FILM & COMIC CON from the 8th to the 10th of July. Check the Vampire Wedding website for daily updates or follow us on Twitter.

Vampire Wedding is a horror/comedy about Sophia Heartfield, a wedding planner who ultimately has to battle vampires to save the man she loves.

Vampire Wedding Synopsis:

All ambitious but heartbroken wedding planner Sophia cares about is her fiancé, Michael, who apparently just dumped her. Neither the high-profile wedding of aging silent movie legend Angelyne Argyle nor the nomination for the Wedding Planner of the Year Awards help to brighten up her day, when all of a sudden she finds herself surrounded by vampires plotting to take over the world. With the help of photographer Paula and florist Raymond, Sophia jumps to rescue her fiancé, to ruin Angelyne’s evil plan, and to save the world from impending doom.

For more Vampire Wedding information, head to www.vampire-wedding.com and www.facebook.com/vampirewedding.

Vampire Wire's Marta Acosta Makes Her YA Fiction Debut June 2012

2011-07-06T12:00:00.000-07:00

I've been a fan of Marta Acosta's Vampire Wire blog for years, and Marta has been sharing words of advice and wisdom with me as I navigate my own way down the long and difficult road toward publication (she's the author of the Casa Dracula series). I'm thrilled to see that today she announced that Tor/MacMillan will publish her first venture into young adult fiction, Dark Companion, in June 2012.

The Dark Companion synopsis:

When foster teen Jane Williams is invited to attend elite Birch Grove Academy for Girls and escape her violent urban neighborhood, she thinks the offer is too good to be true. She's even offered her own living quarters, the groundskeeper's cottage in the center of the birch grove.

Something's not quite right about the school -- or is it Jane? She thinks she sees things in the birch grove at night. She's also beginning to suspect that the elegant headmistress and her sons are hiding secrets. Lucky is the gorgeous, golden son who is especially attentive to Jane, and Jack is the sardonic puzzling brother.

The school with its talented teachers and bright students is a dream for a science and math geek like Jane. She also loves her new friends, including hilarious poetry-spouting rich girl, Mary Violet. But the longer Jane stays at Birch Grove, the more questions she has about the disappearance of another scholarship girl and a missing faculty member.

Jane discovers one secret about Birch Grove, which only leads to more mysteries. What is she willing to sacrifice in order to stay at this school...and be bound to Birch Grove forever?

For more info, head to vampirewire.blogspot.com. Congrats, Marta!

Jill Tracy's "Sell My Soul" Named the Official Song of Melissa Marr's GRAVEMINDER

2011-07-05T13:52:00.000-07:00

I received the following news from frequent Suburban Vampire Music Monday artist Jill Tracy:

New York Times best-selling author Melissa Marr named Jill Tracy's "Sell My Soul" as the official song for her new novel Graveminder. Marr says she listened to the tune on endless repeat for inspiration, especially while creating scenes in the Land of the Dead. Jill Tracy will be forever immortalized as the sultry singer in Mr. D's Tip Top Tavern, alluring nightspot of the unliving. "Sell My Soul" is featured on Melissa Marr's website. The book has already been optioned for TV. Marr and Jill Tracy are discussing future collaborations.

Melissa Mar discusses Graveminder, her first adult novel:

You can download "Sell My Soul" at http://jilltracy.bandcamp.com. For more info about the music and the novel, head to JillTracy.com and Melissa-Marr.com.

Music Monday: CHUPACABRA by Rhymin' Reason

2011-07-04T08:00:00.000-07:00

There aren't too many songs about chupacabras, the vampiric, livestock-attacking creatures of modern legend in the Americas (the name literally translates to "goat sucker"). However, my sister recently introduced me to "Chupacabra," musical duo Rhymin' Reason's clever and hilarious ode to the mysterious vampire cousin.

The group was started by a California husband and wife teacher team "dedicated to teaching young children about environmental science and health through song," according to rhyminreason.com. "Chupacabra" can be found on their 2007 CD Metamorphos Us. I'm unable to track down a video for the song, so I'm attaching an Amazon music sample widget and links to sites where you can listen to and buy the music. Enjoy. And protect your goats.

iTunes:

Rhymin' Reason on CD Baby
Official website: http://rhyminreason.com

New Episodes of VAMPIRE MOB and BLOOD AND BONE CHINA

2011-06-30T11:59:00.000-07:00

John Colella & Chad Wood in Vampire Mob.

I've been on vacation for over a week, so I've missed out on sharing web series announcements as they've been occurring.

For starters, Vampire Mob is back for a second season, which can be viewed at VampireMob.com. The Season Two cast includes John Colella, Reamy Hall, Marcia Wallace (The Simpsons), and Rae Allen (The Sopranos). You can read my interview with Vampire Mob creator Joe Wilson here.

Also, the eighth episode of Blood and Bone China, "Leonora," is now available:

To watch all episodes of both series, head to VampireMob.com and BloodandBoneChina.com.

First Live Paranormal Radio Broadcast at GetFanged.com

2011-06-16T16:12:00.000-07:00

GetFanged.com, "The Social Network with Bite," recently redesigned and relaunched and will broadcast its first radio show this Saturday.

Live Paranormal -
To Hell and Back with Suzy Lewis!
Time: June 18, 2011, 9:00-10:00 pm EST
Location: www.getfanged.com
Organized by: GetFanged

See more details and RSVP at GetFanged.com.

Music Monday: MY TURN TO EVIL (aka That Song from the FRIGHT NIGHT Trailer)

2011-06-13T10:23:00.000-07:00

It's been over a month since I've posted a Music Monday, so I thought I'd take a small breather between my book revisions to reemerge and share "My Turn to Evil" by indie rock group Letters Vs. Numbers. If you've been checking out my Fright Night posts, you'll undoubtedly recognize the song as the music playing in the background of the trailer.

iTunes:

FRIGHT NIGHT's David Tennant & Neighborly Chat Clips

2011-06-07T09:31:00.000-07:00

Here's a short clip of vampire Jerry Dandridge (Colin Farrell) having a chat with teenaged next-door-neighbor Charley (Anton Yelchin) in the upcoming Fright Night remake. Kids: If some guy comes to your house saying these things, even if he looks like Colin Farrell, just slam the door shut. It's creepy.

If you've been hoping to see clips of Doctor Who's David Tennant in Fright Night, he shows up in the new TV spot that first aired during the MTV Movie Awards:

The First Six Minutes of TRUE BLOOD: Season Four

2011-06-06T22:24:00.000-07:00

True Blood fans probably already know to have their HBO subscriptions ready to go by Sunday, June 26, for the premiere of Season 4. If you can't wait that long to catch Sookie and company, here's a sneak peek of the first six minutes of the season, thanks to HBO.com:

Season 4: The 6 Minute Sneak Peek

If you need to catch up on past episodes, True Blood: Season 3 is now available on DVD and Blu-ray.

BLOOD AND BONE CHINA: Episode 7, The Gates of Wrath

2011-06-01T09:48:00.000-07:00

Anthony Miles as Newlyn Howell.

In case you haven't seen my note at the top of Suburban Vampire, I'm on a highly reduced blogging schedule due to intense book revisions, plus I've become extremely behind on emails. Sorry about the lack of vampire activity over here.

Despite my hibernation, I want to make sure I don't fall behind on sharing episodes of the British Victorian-era vampire series, Blood and Bone China. Without further ado, here's Episode 7: "The Gates of Wrath."

To catch previous episodes of the series, head to BloodandBoneChina.com. Episode 8 will debut Monday, June 13.

WE ARE THE NIGHT: Glamorous Vampires, German Style

2011-05-25T16:57:00.000-07:00

IFC Films is bringing the 2010 German vampire film We Are the Night to U.S. theaters this month.

From ifcfilms.com:

Dennis Gansel, director of the critically acclaimed The Wave, explores a seething dark side of Berlin in We Are the Night.  Following a sect of seductive female vampires that hide out in the city's alternative clubs, enjoying the luxury and pleasures their attained immortality provides them and wreaking horror on a string of unsuspecting victims, the film is a brilliantly stylized vision of the classic vampire myth—a sensual, charismatic thrill ride fascinated with all aspects of the night.

For more info, head to the We Are the Night IFC site.

DARK SHADOWS Plot Revealed

2011-05-19T08:35:00.000-07:00

Warner Brothers has revealed the storyline for Tim Burton's movie adaptation of the 1960s gothic soap opera, Dark Shadows:

"In the year 1752, Joshua and Naomi Collins, with young son Barnabas, set sail from Liverpool, England to start a new life in America. But even an ocean was not enough to escape the mysterious curse that has plagued their family. Two decades pass and Barnabas (Johnny Depp) has the world at his feet--or at least the town of Collinsport, Maine. The master of Collinwood Manor, Barnabas is rich, powerful and an inveterate playboy...until he makes the grave mistake of breaking the heart of Angelique Brouchard (Eva Green). A witch, in every sense of the word, Angelique dooms him to a fate worse than death: turning him into a vampire, and then burying him alive.

Two centuries later, Barnabas is inadvertently freed from his tomb and emerges into the very changed world of 1972. He returns to Collinwood Manor to find that his once-grand estate has fallen into ruin. The dysfunctional remnants of the Collins family have fared little better, each harboring their own dark secrets. Matriarch Elizabeth Collins Stoddard (Michelle Pfeiffer) has called upon live-in psychiatrist, Dr. Julia Hoffman (Helena Bonham Carter), to help with her family troubles.

Also residing in the manor is Elizabeth's ne'er-do-well brother, Roger Collins (Jonny Lee Miller); her rebellious teenage daughter Carolyn Stoddard (Chloe Moretz); and Roger's precocious 10-year-old son, David Collins (Gulliver McGrath). The mystery extends beyond the family, to caretaker Willie Loomis, played by Jackie Earle Haley, and David's new nanny, Victoria Winters, played by Bella Heathcote."

To learn about Johnny Depp's plans for tackling the character of Barnabas, head to http://insidemovies.ew.com.

What do you think? Fans of the 1960s version of Dark Shadows: Will you be checking out this new take on the Collins family?

FRIGHT NIGHT Trailer & Poster

2011-05-17T11:40:00.000-07:00

The trailer for the 2011 version of Fright Night, a suburban vampire flick coming this August, is now available and posted below.

The synopsis: Teenager Charley Brewster (Anton Yelchin) guesses that his new neighbor Jerry Dandrige (Colin Farrell) is a vampire responsible for a string of recent deaths. When no one he knows believes him, he enlists Peter Vincent (David Tennant), the opportunistic host of his favorite TV show, to help him take down Jerry and his guardian.

Once again, the lovely Colin Farrell Fright Night still:

Fright Night is scheduled to debut in theaters August 19, 2011.
Official website: welcometofrightnight.com

Friday the 13th: PRIEST Release Day

2011-05-13T10:48:00.000-07:00

Happy Friday the 13th! Appropriately enough, today marks the theatrical release of a new vampire film: Priest, starring Paul Bettany, Maggie Q, and Cam Gigandet. I'm attaching a featurette, a clip, and the trailer so you can get a taste of the movie's post-apocalyptic sci-fi vampires and the wayward priest who hunts them down (in 3-D, no less).

Official website: www.priest-themovie.com

The DARK SHADOWS Cast

2011-05-05T08:00:00.000-07:00

Thomas McDonell, Young Barnabas

The Tim Burton movie adaptation of the gothic 1960s soap opera, Dark Shadows, has been on my list of Upcoming Vampire Movies/Series since I first started the catalog in 2008. The film is finally underway, and I'm excited to see what happens when you combine Burton, a popular sixties soap, and the writer of best-selling mashups such as Pride and Prejudice and Zombies and Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter.

Also highly intriguing is the cast they've assembled for the project, including a young vampire movie veteran. Here's the latest Dark Shadows list from IMDB.com:

Johnny Depp: Barnabas Collins
Helena Bonham Carter: Dr. Julia Hoffman (rumored)
Chloe Moretz: Carolyn Stoddard (Moretz played the young vampire in 2010's Let Me In)
Michelle Pfeiffer: Elizabeth Collins Stoddard
Eva Green: Angelique Bouchard
Thomas McDonell: Young Barnabas Collins (McDonell currently appears in the Disney movie Prom—which is not a vampire film)
Jackie Earle Haley: Willie Loomis
Bella Heathcote: Victoria Winters
Gulliver McGrath: David Collins

THE ORDER OF THE BLOOD by Nicole Vlachos and Lane Morris

2011-05-04T08:00:00.000-07:00

My apologies for not being able to offer author interviews at the moment, but my own writing life has been needing more TLC than what I've been giving it. I'm still happy to spread the news about new vampire releases, such as Nicole Vlachos and Lane Morris's The Order of the Blood, available from Black Bed Sheet Books (a very cool publishing company name, I might add).

The Order of the Blood Synopsis:

Once, vampires of the Order of the Blood were revered and respected, but a change in political tides and waves of genocide forced them into hiding. Now, split into two factions with very different means to the end of regaining their freedoms, the brothers of the Order face a resurgence of public fear and hatred. A newly turned vampire, Ian, finds himself torn between sides. Interested only in saving his mortal love, Robin, from the bewitching spell of an older, much-more-powerful leader of an underground rebellion, Gideon, Ian must choose between protecting Robin or betraying those of his kind. Though Gideon claims to love her, too, how far will he go to protect the fragile beginnings of his new world order? And with the membership of of their brotherhood divided, who will be powerful enough to stop him?

More Info...

blackbedsheet.goshopper.net
www.orderoftheblood.com
Facebook
Twitter

Music Monday: Stevie Nicks's Brand-New Twilight- & Poe-Inspired Songs

2011-05-02T08:57:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow, May 3, marks the release of In Your Dreams, music legend Stevie Nicks's first album of new releases since 2001's Trouble in Shangri-La.

Nicks said, "I had written a song in Brisbane, Australia, when I was on tour with Fleetwood Mac in 2009 called 'Moonlight - A Vampire's Dream,' which was inspired by the New Moon film. When I finished writing that song, which came together really quickly, I knew the time was right to start recording." "Moonlight" indeed appears on In Your Dreams, as well as a musical version of Edgar Allan Poe's classic poem "Annabel Lee." Nicks definitely got her Goth on for this album.

Stevie Nicks's Official Website: www.rockalittle.com

Blood and Bone China, Episode 6: The Sword of Silver

2011-05-01T13:09:00.000-07:00

I'm coming up for a breather from my temporary blogging hiatus to get my fix of Blood and Bone China. Here's episode 6: "The Sword of Silver."

Episode 7 will be available May 15. To watch all episodes, head to www.bloodandbonechina.com.

DYLAN DOG, PRIEST, & Other Upcoming Vampire Movies

2011-04-25T08:59:00.000-07:00

I'll be taking a blogging break for the rest of the week so I can finish writing the rough draft of my newest manuscript. However, there are two new vampire movies coming to theaters in the next few weeks, and I want to spread the word about them and share their trailers before I hide away.

Dylan Dog: Dead of Night
Coming to Theaters April 29, 2011
Stars: Brandon Routh, Sam Huntington, Anita Briem,Taye Diggs
The Plot in a Nutshell: The adventures of supernatural private eye Dylan Dog, who seeks out the monsters of the Louisiana bayou in his signature red shirt, black jacket, and blue jeans.

Priest
Coming to Theaters May 13, 2011
Stars: Paul Bettany, Maggie Q, Cam Gigandet
The Plot in a Nutshell: A post-apocalyptic sci-fi thriller set in an alternate world—one ravaged by centuries of war between man and vampires.

I've also added approximately ten more movies to my Upcoming Vampire Movies/Series Page, including The Last Voyage of Demeter (the story of the ill-fated ship that carried Dracula's coffin, starring Jude Law, Noomi Rapace, and Ben Kingsley), the romantic British thriller Hello Darkness, and a Near Dark remake. The list is located at http://suburbanvampire.blogspot.com/p/upcoming-vampire-movies.html.

A Lovely Colin Farrell Photo Still from FRIGHT NIGHT

2011-04-20T09:01:00.000-07:00

Thanks to novelist Nicole Hadaway, I discovered DreamWorks Pictures has released a delightful new photo of Colin Farrell (playing the vampire Jerry Dandrige) embracing a victim in the upcoming reboot of Fright Night.

That's not going to curb our attraction to vampires anytime soon, is it?

Winner of Margie Church's LOVE BITES

2011-04-19T09:13:00.000-07:00

The winner of a copy of Margie Church's Love Bites is

LadyVampire2u

Congratulations! I'll forward your email address to the author.

Thanks to everyone who entered, and thanks so much to Margie Church for joining me at Suburban Vampire and offering the giveaway! If you missed her interview last week, check it out here.

Music Monday: I'M A VAMPIRE by Future Bible Heroes

2011-04-18T10:00:00.000-07:00

Today's featured song, "I'm a Vampire," is from Future Bible Heroes's 2002 album, Eternal Youth, but the electronica spirit sounds like it's straight from the eighties. Stephin Merritt from The Magnetic Fields leads the band, Chris Ewen provides the music, and Claudia Gonson sings "I'm a Vampire's" lyrics, which include lines such as "I am what I am/And I am impossibly glam."